Dudley & Shanley Inc. Has $24.35 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 15.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,131 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 11,085 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises approximately 3.8% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Dudley & Shanley Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $24,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $82,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on WST shares. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $437.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of WST stock traded down $1.83 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $329.57. The company had a trading volume of 372,705 shares, compared to its average volume of 569,461. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. 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 firm has a market cap of $23.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.90, a P/E/G ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $316.73 and a 200 day moving average of $311.81.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.