Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 22.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 105,998 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 19,626 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.15% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $41,944,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Evoke Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $7,770,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 191,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $75,766,000 after acquiring an additional 2,759 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13,230.0% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 18,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,571,000 after purchasing an additional 18,522 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,002,632 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,170,007,000 after acquiring an additional 104,740 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 39.8% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 138,468 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,750,000 after purchasing an additional 39,392 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock traded down $0.72 on Friday, reaching $315.62. 135,457 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 527,747. The company has a market cap of $22.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.58, a P/E/G ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $330.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $357.36. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $310.00 and a 1 year high of $415.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 2.61.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.27. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.57% and a net margin of 19.42%. The business had revenue of $695.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $670.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 10.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value of $595,404.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total value of $24,198,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,063,718.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total transaction of $595,404.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.