West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stock Holdings Boosted by FORA Capital LLC

FORA Capital LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1,098.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,789 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,551,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in 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. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $86,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $319.25. 55,778 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 571,017. The company has a market capitalization of $23.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.38, a P/E/G ratio of 24.15 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $307.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $313.59.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 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. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.46%.

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.