WST
West Pharmaceutical Services
$354.09
▲ 1.6%Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET
WST at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.
Overall: Neutral · 56/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.
▲ Up 50.5% over the last 12 months
Market Cap
$23.28B
P/E
46.26x
Forward P/E (est.)
39.37x
ROE
17.9%
Revenue Growth
11.2%
EPS Growth
17.5%
Profit Margin
16.9%
FCF Yield
2.7%
Debt / Equity
0.07x
ROIC
14.0%
Interest Coverage
64.99x
Current Ratio
2.71x
Dividend Yield
0.3%
Implied Growth (rev. DCF)
6.8%
Rating Score
56/100
West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) is a large-cap company in the Health Care Supplies industry, part of the Health Care sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $23.28B.
In its latest reported year it generated about $3.07B in revenue and $493.70M in net profit.
Our model rates WST Neutral (56/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.
Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (8 years of history).
Some durable-advantage evidence, but not across the board — dig into which ingredient is weak and whether it's cyclical or structural.
36.2% average over the last 3 years
±3.1 pts around 36.3% across 8 years
grew in 6 of the last 7 year-over-year periods
positive in 8 of 8 years
14.0% latest fiscal year
A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.
Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what WST's chart says today, with each tool explained.
Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. WST trades near $354.09, above its 50-day average ($319.81) and 200-day average ($275.98). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.
Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 83 it is overbought — the recent rally is stretched and can cool off.
MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.
Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. WST's is $7.67 (~2.2% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.
Support & resistance. Over the last month WST found buyers near $310.57 (support) and sellers near $367.66 (resistance); its 52-week range is $206.80–$367.66. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.
Volume. The latest session traded 0.7× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.
Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.
4Y CAGR
2.1%
Revenue moved from $1.72B in 2018 to $3.07B in 2025, a 8.7% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year grew a steady 11.2% year over year. Consistent top-line growth is one sign of healthy demand.
Gross Margin
35.9%
Operating Margin
19.0%
Net Margin
16.1%
ROE
17.9%
West Pharmaceutical Services keeps about 16.9% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 35.9% gross margin and 19.0% operating margin. Return on equity is 17.9% and return on invested capital about 14.0%. Margins this wide usually signal pricing power or a cost advantage.
Total Debt
$202.80M
Net Debt
-$318.60M
Net cash position
Net Debt / EBITDA
-0.54x
Debt / Equity
0.07x
Leverage: debt-to-equity is 0.1x, and operating profit covers interest about 65.0x, with a current ratio of 2.7x. That is a conservative balance sheet — a cushion in downturns. It carries roughly $202.80M of total debt against $521.40M of cash.
Operating CF
$754.80M
Free Cash Flow
$468.90M
FCF Margin
15.3%
In the latest year West Pharmaceutical Services produced about $754.80M of operating cash flow and $468.90M of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 2.7% on today's price. Cash flow is what ultimately pays shareholders, so it is worth tracking over time.
Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.
The payout is comfortably covered by cash the business actually generates, with a raise habit behind it.
Dividend yield
0.3%
Per share (latest FY)
$0.86
Total paid (latest FY)
$61.20M
History on record
8 years
dividend uses 13% of free cash flow
12% of net income paid out
total dividends increased 7 years in a row
no cuts in the last 8 years on record
Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.
P/E
46.26x
P/S
7.62x
P/B
6.68x
EV / EBITDA
—
WST trades at 46.3x trailing earnings (about 39.4x on estimated forward earnings), 7.6x sales, and 6.7x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 6.8% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a rich multiple that prices in a lot of future growth.
A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.
DCF fair value / share
$170.75
Current price
$354.09
Starting FCF (latest 10-K)
$468.90M
Growth, years 1–5
11.2%
Fade to terminal, years 6–10
2.5%
Discount rate
9.0%
Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.
Where WST sits versus its Health Care sector peers in the S&P 500.
Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 83 Health Care companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.
How WST stacks up against its Health Care peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.
In the Health Care sector (324 S&P 500 companies), WST ranks #34 of 324 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (46.3x P/E vs. 27.3x median) with a higher return on equity (17.9% vs. 14.1%) and faster revenue growth (11.2% vs. 7.6%).
P/E vs sector
46.3x
median 27.3x
ROE vs sector
17.9%
median 14.1%
Growth vs sector
11.2%
median 7.6%
Sector rank
#34
of 324 by rating
Valuation vs. quality map
The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.
Peers are the closest Health Care companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 324 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.
Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.
2030 price target (Base Case)
$0.00 – $0.00
vs. $354.09 today · expected CAGR -0% – 10%
| Metric | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.41B | $3.79B | $4.20B | $4.67B | $5.18B |
| Net income | $545.96M | $606.02M | $672.68M | $746.67M | $828.81M |
| EPS | $8.30 | $9.22 | $10.23 | $11.35 | $12.60 |
| Share price (low) | $232.47 | $258.05 | $286.43 | $317.94 | $352.91 |
| Share price (high) | $381.92 | $423.93 | $470.57 | $522.33 | $579.78 |
| CAGR (low–high) | -34% / 8% | -15% / 9% | -7% / 10% | -3% / 10% | -0% / 10% |
Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.
The case for WST:
- Revenue is growing 11.2% a year, a sign of real demand.
- High net margins (16.9%) point to pricing power or efficiency.
- Strong return on equity (17.9%) shows capital is put to work well.
- A conservative balance sheet (debt/equity 0.1x) lowers risk.
The case against WST:
- A rich 46.3x earnings multiple prices in a lot of growth.
- Like any single stock, it is exposed to competition, the economic cycle, and shifts in its end markets.
Valuation risk — at 46.3x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.
Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.
On balance, the picture is mixed: West Pharmaceutical Services is a large-cap health care business still growing nicely, with solid profitability, and a sound balance sheet. It trades at 46.3x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (56/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.
Analyst Ratings
What 23 Wall Street analysts covering WST recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.
Analysts have turned more positive over the last three months (+9 pts of buy ratings).
Latest SEC Filings
WST's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.
In the Idea Lab
WST — frequently asked questions
Is WST a good stock to buy?
We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates West Pharmaceutical Services Neutral (56/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.
What is WST's rating on The Stocks School?
West Pharmaceutical Services currently scores 56/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.
How our ratings work →Where does WST's data come from?
Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from West Pharmaceutical Services's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.
How is the 5-year projection for WST calculated?
It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.
Is this WST analysis financial advice?
No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell WST. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.
Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.
Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.