Meeder Asset Management Inc. Increases Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 117.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 653 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 353 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $196,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 593,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $195,556,000 after acquiring an additional 37,702 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $132,095,000 after purchasing an additional 45,208 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,258,000 after purchasing an additional 26,947 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $95,075,000 after purchasing an additional 30,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 269,675 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $88,828,000 after purchasing an additional 9,156 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $304.08 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $306.05 and a 200 day moving average of $314.99. The company has a market cap of $22.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.12, a PEG ratio of 23.20 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.28%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.