Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $8.74 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,311 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,101 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $8,739,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.3% during the 2nd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,348 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $514,000 after buying an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.0% during the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 25,400 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,558,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on WST shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $328.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $231.83 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.34, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $335.20. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $264.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.37.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.