Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Raises Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.4% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,366 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 106 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $450,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 186,718 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $61,727,000 after buying an additional 19,561 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 112,520 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $37,063,000 after acquiring an additional 10,654 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 8,507 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,802,000 after acquiring an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Sargent Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $237,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $95,075,000 after purchasing an additional 30,253 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $309.85 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $302.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $336.46. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.88, a P/E/G ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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 quarterly revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related 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 transaction of $308,700.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.