Lbp Am Sa Makes New Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Lbp Am Sa bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $575,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WST. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 50,631 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,078,000 after acquiring an additional 3,212 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WST. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $335.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.9%

WST stock opened at $236.08 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $347.85. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $269.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $261.12. The stock has a market cap of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 34.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.04%.

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.