West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 46,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,317 shares during the quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $13,875,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of WST stock opened at $316.59 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization 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 stock has a fifty day moving average of $307.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.