Paradiem LLC Sells 2,680 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Paradiem LLC lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,898 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,680 shares during the quarter. Paradiem LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,485,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WST. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.9% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 12,909 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,844,000 after buying an additional 4,121 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 50,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $19,006,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Covenant Partners LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Covenant Partners LLC now owns 918 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,237 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $839,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 64,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.85, for a total value of $23,077,900.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,023,943.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 64,132 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.85, for a total value of $23,077,900.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,023,943.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total transaction of $724,053.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,979 shares in the company, valued at $709,708.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 73,978 shares of company stock valued at $26,653,772 in the last ninety days. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST traded down $7.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $360.43. 603,058 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 378,628. The company’s 50-day moving average is $377.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $363.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.88 and a quick ratio of 2.24. The company has a market capitalization of $26.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.55, a PEG ratio of 6.13 and a beta of 1.04. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $310.42 and a 1 year high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $695.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $670.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 20.29%. The business’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WST shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $323.00 to $536.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $435.20.

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.