Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Has $12.63 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 42,077 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 260 shares during the quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $12,630,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pitcairn Co. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $346,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC raised its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 742 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% during the first 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 during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.9 %

WST traded up $5.80 during trading on Friday, reaching $313.73. 112,924 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 567,656. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $301.40 and its 200 day moving average is $320.19. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $413.70. 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 capitalization of $22.72 billion, a PE ratio of 45.68, a P/E/G ratio of 23.58 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.27%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.87%.

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.