West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Acquired by Daiwa Securities Group Inc.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,013 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,273 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,299,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,002,632 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,170,007,000 after acquiring an additional 104,740 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,105,589 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $741,420,000 after purchasing an additional 28,010 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,961,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $690,530,000 after purchasing an additional 369,792 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,414,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $498,049,000 after purchasing an additional 109,369 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $300,250,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $297.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.68. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. The company has a market capitalization of $21.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.25, a PEG ratio of 10.60 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $305.71 and a 200-day moving average of $339.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $702.10 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,400. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

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.