Symmetry Partners LLC Takes $223,000 Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Symmetry Partners LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 563 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.0% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at $56,063,718.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $14.01 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $322.07. 1,094,362 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 528,960. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $310.00 and a 12-month high of $415.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 2.61. The stock has a market cap of $23.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.88 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $352.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $361.87.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.27. The company had revenue of $695.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $670.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 20.57%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.98 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 10.55%.

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.