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

Key Points

• Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 46,092 shares valued at about $12.68 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 versus the $1.68 estimate and revenue of $844.9 million, up 21% year over year.
• The company also announced a $1 billion stock buyback and analysts remain constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a price target of $322.89.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 38.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 46,092 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 12,781 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned about 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $12,682,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during 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 in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,137,000 after acquiring an additional 29,067 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WST. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $322.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of WST stock opened at $304.31 on Tuesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $203.74 and a fifty-two week high of $330.88. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $269.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $265.43. 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 has a market cap of $21.50 billion, a PE ratio of 40.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced 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. The business had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. 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 predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.

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