New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $23.06 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 13.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 87,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,409 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.12% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $23,063,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $18,304,000 after acquiring an additional 10,009 shares during the period. North Growth Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 34,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,930,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 502,831 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $111,236,000 after purchasing an additional 228,696 shares in the last quarter. Caxton Associates LLP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $1,610,000. Finally, Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 87.4% during the 3rd quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 136,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,800,000 after buying an additional 63,638 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $231.23 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $347.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.87. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $268.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $335.78.

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.