Pier Capital LLC Grows Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Pier Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,642 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $541,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $300,250,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,961,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $690,530,000 after buying an additional 369,792 shares during the period. APG Asset Management US Inc. bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $88,227,000. LGT Group Foundation bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $68,854,000. Finally, Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $64,196,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at $443,400. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $302.35 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $306.18 and a 200 day moving average of $340.02. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $702.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $729.36 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.17% and a net margin of 18.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.11 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current year.

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.