West Pharmaceutical Services Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:WST)

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 2,133 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 453% compared to the average volume of 386 put options.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:WST traded up $7.60 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $284.76. 1,190,418 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 675,234. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a P/E/G ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 1.00. 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 business’s 50-day moving average price is $324.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $355.75. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.77 by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $702.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $729.36 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 18.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.11 earnings per share. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total value of $24,198,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at $56,063,718.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value of $595,404.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at $946,030.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total value of $24,198,900.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at $56,063,718.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Evoke Wealth LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,770,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 191,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $75,766,000 after buying an additional 2,759 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13,230.0% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 18,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,571,000 after buying an additional 18,522 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,002,632 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,170,007,000 after buying an additional 104,740 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 142.3% in the first quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 29,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,724,000 after buying an additional 17,399 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.