West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stake Trimmed by Dudley & Shanley Inc.

Dudley & Shanley Inc. reduced its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 78,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,470 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up 4.0% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Dudley & Shanley Inc. owned 0.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $25,766,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.9 %

WST stock traded up $6.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $334.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 135,893 shares, compared to its average volume of 281,554. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $323.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $312.26. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $24.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.67, a PEG ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 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 analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $437.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.