Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. Lowers Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. decreased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,690 shares during the quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,540,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $322.78 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $308.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $312.62. The stock has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.71 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.