Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Increases Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 64.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 18,738 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,334 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 593,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $195,556,000 after purchasing an additional 37,702 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $132,095,000 after acquiring an additional 45,208 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,258,000 after acquiring an additional 26,947 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $95,075,000 after acquiring an additional 30,253 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 269,675 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $88,828,000 after purchasing an additional 9,156 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $316.59 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $307.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $314.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.97, a P/E/G ratio of 24.24 and a beta of 1.00. 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

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.