Impax Asset Management Group plc Buys 1,102 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 56.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,102 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 593,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $195,556,000 after purchasing an additional 37,702 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 500,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $198,117,000 after purchasing an additional 61,247 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,258,000 after acquiring an additional 26,947 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in 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 worth $95,075,000 after acquiring an additional 30,253 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $329.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $302.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $318.15. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. The company has a market cap of $23.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.87, a PEG ratio of 23.71 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.87%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at $443,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.