Hartford Investment Management Co. Trims Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Hartford Investment Management Co. lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 110 shares during the period. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,368,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Group Foundation purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at about $64,196,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 30.6% in the 1st quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 597,106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $236,281,000 after acquiring an additional 139,800 shares during the period. Iron Triangle Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $47,381,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.9% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 500,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $198,117,000 after acquiring an additional 61,247 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the firm’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 owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 6.9 %

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $307.92 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.43 billion, a PE ratio of 40.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.34. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $300.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $322.27.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.34. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.17% and a net margin of 18.25%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.08%.

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.