Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Reduces Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co lowered its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 42.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,329 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 970 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $526,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 69,961 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $24,635,000 after buying an additional 5,564 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,511,000 after buying an additional 216 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 21,056 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,414,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,589,000. Finally, GAM Holding AG bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $665,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE WST traded up $6.86 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $306.17. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,181,508 shares, compared to its average volume of 571,754. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.34. The stock has a market cap of $22.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.39, a P/E/G ratio of 10.26 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. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $321.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $354.64.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.22). West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.17% and a net margin of 18.25%. The company had revenue of $702.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $729.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.11 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,063,718.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,063,718.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total transaction of $595,404.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.