MetLife Investment Management LLC Sells 599 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lowered its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 599 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,264,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $178,828,000 after acquiring an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 37,702 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 448,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,527,000 after buying an additional 6,756 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% during the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $133,271,000 after buying an additional 101,710 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 45,208 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:WST opened at $325.68 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.32, a PEG ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. 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 50 day moving average of $308.81 and a 200 day moving average of $313.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business posted $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by 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.