March 20, 2025
Top 10 Stock West Pharmaceutical Services Buy Recommendation
How to read the ranks
For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".
Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".
Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.
Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.
(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).
(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.
Snapshot: West Pharmaceutical Services – Top 10 Stock in Dow Jones U.S. Medical Equipment Index
West Pharmaceutical Services is listed as a top 10 stock on March 20, 2025 in the market index D.J. US Medical because of its high performance in at least one of the Obermatt investment strategies. Two consolidated Obermatt Ranks are above-average. The company is safely financed and the professional investor sentiment is positive. Both are encouraging signals for a stock purchase decision, albeit at an above-average share price. Based on the Obermatt 360° View of 67 (high 67% performer), Obermatt assesses an overall buy recommendation for West Pharmaceutical Services on March 20, 2025.
Snapshot: Obermatt Ranks
| Country | USA |
| Industry | Life Sciences Tools & Services |
| Index | Dividends USA, D.J. US Medical Equipment, S&P 500 |
| Size class | Large |
When Obermatt identifies the Top 10 stocks in a market, it’s based on a certain investment strategy. The best performing stocks usually aren’t the ones that everyone is talking about (those are often "over-priced" and have low Value ranks).
For each investment strategy, we provide you with more detailed analysis and our recommendation. You see the ranks of the top 10 stocks ranked by that particular investment strategy (360° View, Sentiment, Value, Growth, Safety and Combined Financial Performance).
360° View: Obermatt 360° View West Pharmaceutical Services Buy
| 360 METRICS | March 20, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 28 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 10 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | 72 |
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| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | 67 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt 360° View of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and financial characteristics for the stock West Pharmaceutical Services are above average. The 360° View is based on consolidating four consolidated indicators, with half below and half above average for West Pharmaceutical Services. The consolidated Sentiment Rank has a good rank of 72, which means that professional investors are more optimistic about the stock than for 72% of alternative investment opportunities. It also rates well regarding its financing structure, with the consolidated Safety Rank at 100 or better than 100% of its peers when looking at the amount of its debt, its refinancing requirements, and its ability to service debt. But the stock is expensive and expects low growth. The consolidated Value Rank is only 28, meaning that the share price of West Pharmaceutical Services is on the high side, compared with indicators such as revenues, profits, and invested capital. The company exhibits below-average growth momentum when looking at financial metrics such as revenue, profit, invested capital growth,and stock returns, with its Growth Rank at 10. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated 360° View of 67, West Pharmaceutical Services is better positioned than 67% of all alternative stock investment opportunities based on the Obermatt Method. As only half of the consolidated Obermatt Ranks exhibit excellent performance, namely the positive professional market sentiment (Sentiment Rank of 72) and safe financing practices (Safety Rank of 100), the case for investing in this stock needs further thought. The Value and the Safety Ranks are below average. The Safety Rank is the least critical of the four consolidated ranks, because it only reflects financing practices. So the question is: How to assess below-average value against above-average sentiment? This may be a case where growth is in the future, not yet reflected in current performance. Companies that might fall into this category are those with intellectual property, such as technology and pharmaceutical companies. In early phases, they are expensive relative to their size and have a lot of capital on their books, as is the case here. Investors expect a better future and are willing to pay a higher price than is warranted by the current company size. These higher prices drive stock price value down in the short term. In this case, future growth may be the strongest driver of the investment case, reflected by institutional investors' opinions. With a weak Value Rank, the question is how much to sacrifice value at the cost of positive sentiment. Sometimes market sentiment is just hype, but sometimes it is right. You pay more than market-average for this stock, but it may be worth it, if the future of West Pharmaceutical Serviceṣ is bright. Prudent investors may only want to invest a smaller portion of their wealth in such situations. Young investors can carry more risk but should still thrive for sufficient diversification. ...read more
Sentiment Strategy: Professional Market Sentiment for West Pharmaceutical Services positive
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Sentiment Rank of 72 (better than 72% compared with alternatives), overall professional sentiment and engagement for the stock West Pharmaceutical Services is above average. The Sentiment Rank is based on consolidating four sentiment indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for West Pharmaceutical Services. Analyst Opinions are at a rank of 81 (better than 81% of alternative investments), which means that currently, stock research analysts tend to recommend a stock investment in the company. Market Pulse is also positive with a rank of 69, which means that the current professional news and professional social networks are positive when discussing this company (more positive news than for 69% of competitors). But Analyst Opinions Change is negative with a below 50 rank of 44, which means that stock research experts are changing their opinions for the worse in recommending the company. In other words, they are getting more critical of investments in West Pharmaceutical Services. There are also only so many institutional investors holding company stock with a Professional Investors rank of 49, which means that, currently, professional investors hold less stock in this company than in 51% of alternative investment opportunities. Pros tend to invest in other companies. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Sentiment Rank of 72 (more positive than 72% compared with investment alternatives), West Pharmaceutical Services has a reputation among professional investors that is above-average compared with that of its competitors. The signals are ambivalent. The positive news in the market contradicts the negative change in analyst recommendations. Since the overall analyst recommendations are still above average, the stock may be safer for investing, especially if it is not an extra-large company where Pros tend to be less present. In such a case, the Pro Investor rank is not a problem. ...read more
Value Strategy: West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Price Value below-average critical
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 28 (worse than 72% compared with alternatives), West Pharmaceutical Services shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for West Pharmaceutical Services. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 82% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 23 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 77% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning West Pharmaceutical Services's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 18 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 82% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 14 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 86% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 28, is a hold recommendation based on West Pharmaceutical Services's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick West Pharmaceutical Services? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose West Pharmaceutical Services only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. ...read more
Growth Strategy: West Pharmaceutical Services Growth Momentum negative
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 10 (better than 10% compared with alternatives), West Pharmaceutical Services shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all four metrics below average for West Pharmaceutical Services. Sales Growth has a rank of 49, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow less than 51% of its competitors. The same is valid for Profit Growth, with a rank of 18, and Capital Growth with 10. In addition, Stock Returns have a below market rank of 28, which means that the stock returns have recently been below 72% of alternative investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 10, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. These are all bad growth momentum indicators. These are negative signals for investors interested in growth companies. Value is likely good for this company, as investors may have left this stock in the cold. If that is the case, investors should look at the company's outlook, especially Sentiment performance, because it may be a turnaround situation that could entail above-average stock returns in the future. But it remains a risky bet, as no growth signals are in the green zone yet. ...read more
Safety Strategy: West Pharmaceutical Services Debt Financing Safety very solid
| SAFETY METRICS | March 20, 2025 | |||||||
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| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 72 |
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| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 33 |
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| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 100 |
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| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 100 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives) for 2025, the company West Pharmaceutical Services has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of West Pharmaceutical Services is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for West Pharmaceutical Services. Leverage is at a rank of 72, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 72% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 100, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 100% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 33, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 67% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 100 (better than 100% compared with alternatives), West Pharmaceutical Services has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for West Pharmaceutical Services. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. ...read more
Combined financial peformance: West Pharmaceutical Services Below-Average Financial Performance
| COMBINED PERFORMANCE | March 20, 2025 | |||||||
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| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 28 |
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| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 10 |
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| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 100 |
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| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 43 |
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ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 43 (worse than 57% compared with investment alternatives), West Pharmaceutical Services (Life Sciences Tools & Services, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 28 (worse than 72% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 10) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 100), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 43, is a hold recommendation based on West Pharmaceutical Services's financial characteristics. As the company West Pharmaceutical Services's critical financial metrics exhibit below-average performance, such as low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 28) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 10), it is a somewhat questionable stock investment, where the risk of paying too much for the shares is significant, unless the company has an exceptionally bright future. In this case, good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 100) are a positive sign, because it may allow the company to weather challenging times until the hoped-for cash flows materialize. This may be true for high-tech or biotechnology companies with enough cash to sustain prolonged business development. If they own properties that only provide cash flows in the future, the stock may look excessively expensive and unattractive today. In such cases, the Obermatt Method has limited value, as it is based on facts we can observe today. If the facts lie all in the future, stock investing becomes guesswork, and this should only be a driver in a limited number of investments that account for a small fraction of a safe portfolio. ...read more
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