Natixis Acquires 17,368 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Natixis grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 590.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 20,310 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,368 shares during the period. Natixis’ holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $8,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total value of $24,198,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,063,718.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value of $595,404.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total transaction of $24,198,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,063,718.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock traded down $46.61 on Thursday, reaching $277.16. The stock had a trading volume of 3,347,337 shares, compared to its average volume of 559,091. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $325.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $356.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.56, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $695.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $670.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 20.57%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.