Entropy Technologies LP Takes $221,000 Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund acquired 737 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during 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 during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth $82,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related 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 value of $218,211.20. Following 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 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 7.0 %

WST opened at $314.49 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.66, a PEG ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $305.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The company 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 for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

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.