New York State Teachers Retirement System Has $20.14 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 67,105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 6,809 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $20,142,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 191,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $75,766,000 after buying an additional 2,759 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 142.3% in the 1st quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 29,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,724,000 after acquiring an additional 17,399 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 54.7% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,181,000 after acquiring an additional 3,738 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,365 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,893,000 after purchasing an additional 3,802 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 70.1% during the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 4,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,969,000 after purchasing an additional 2,050 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.8 %

WST stock opened at $316.50 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $301.68 and its 200-day moving average is $319.76. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.92 billion, a PE ratio of 46.96, a P/E/G ratio of 23.58 and a beta of 1.01. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.