Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Sells 670 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co cut its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 50.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 659 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 670 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $309.20 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.68 and a current ratio of 2.34. The firm has a market cap of $22.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.58 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $304.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $338.16.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.22). The company had revenue of $702.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $729.36 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 19.17%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $308,700.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate 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.