Impax Asset Management Group plc Has $921,000 Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 56.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 3,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $921,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pitcairn Co. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 742 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $860,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $329.38 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $23.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.87, a P/E/G ratio of 23.71 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $302.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $318.15. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 11.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by 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.