West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Empirical Finance LLC

Empirical Finance LLC decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,359 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 147 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $777,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WST. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $313.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $309.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $343.43. The firm has a market cap of $22.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.38, a PEG ratio of 11.15 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $702.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $729.36 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 19.17%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total transaction of $595,404.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at $946,030.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total transaction of $595,404.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at $946,030.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,400. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products.