PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Purchases 955 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,975 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 955 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,395,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $316.59 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $307.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $314.28. The stock has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 46.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.24 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.