Bamco Inc. NY Has $145.23 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Bamco Inc. NY lowered its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 36.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 483,842 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 279,326 shares during the period. Bamco Inc. NY owned approximately 0.67% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $145,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 369.0% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 5,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,551,000 after acquiring an additional 4,066 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.1% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the period. William Allan Corp raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 112.4% in the third quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 7,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,101,000 after purchasing an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,088 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $927,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,114,000 after buying an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $325.68 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $308.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $312.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.59 billion, a PE ratio of 48.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.71 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by 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.