Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Has $12.68 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 38.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 46,092 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,781 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $12,682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,031 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.9% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 1,373 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $352,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 21,299 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,860,000 after buying an additional 1,811 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.1% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $475,000 after buying an additional 553 shares during the period. Finally, Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $440,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 target price on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $304.31 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $203.74 and a 52-week high of $330.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $269.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $265.43.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.