Empowered Funds LLC Grows Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,377 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,231,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. BOKF NA raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% during the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 3,946 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.4% in the first quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 11,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,591,000 after acquiring an additional 1,375 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,511,000. Finally, B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $211,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $316.59 on Monday. 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 has a 50 day moving average price of $307.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $313.91. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. The firm has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.91 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company 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.