Holocene Advisors LP Has $32.85 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Holocene Advisors LP lowered its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 41.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,440 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 76,693 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP owned approximately 0.15% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $32,850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $322.78 on Tuesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The stock has a market capitalization 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $312.62.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.