Fact based stock research
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST)

US9553061055

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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.

West Pharmaceutical Services stock research in summary

westpharma.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 48 (worse than 52% 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 29 (worse than 71% of alternatives) and show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 15) but are safely financed (Safety Rank of 98), which means low debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 48, 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 29) and low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 15), 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 98) 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. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	29
Growth Rank	15
Safety Rank	98
Combined Rank	48

Country	USA
Industry	Life Sciences Tools & Services
Index	Dividends USA, D.J. US Medical, S&P 500
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: West Pharmaceutical Services

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	18	57	26	29
GROWTH
GROWTH	83	81	65	15
SAFETY
SAFETY	68	85	93	98
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	93	86	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	100	89	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better West Pharmaceutical Services is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	18	57	26	29
GROWTH
GROWTH	83	81	65	15
SAFETY
SAFETY	68	85	93	98
COMBINED
COMBINED	65	95	73	48

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of West Pharmaceutical Services the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 29 (worse than 71% 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 80% 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 15 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 85% 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 17 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 83% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 11 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 89% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 29, 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. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	10	31	13	15
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	45	24	18	17
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	8	14	9	11
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	35	86	79	80
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	18	57	26	29

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of West Pharmaceutical Services; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 15 (better than 15% 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 three out of four indicators below-average for West Pharmaceutical Services. While Sales Growth ranks at 60, professionals currently expect the company to grow more than 60% of its competitors, while all other growth ranks are below the market median. Profit Growth has a rank of 10, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 90% of its competitors, and Capital Growth has a low rank of 14. Historic stock returns were also below average with a current Stock Returns rank of 43 which means that the stock returns have recently been below 57% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 15, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. If revenues are expected to increase, but all other growth indicators are negative, the company may be investing in future growth through means not visible in the balance sheet and thus not reflected in capital growth. The fact that Stock Returns have been below market doesn't mean that much, as it may be due to overly optimistic investor behavior in the past, which has been corrected to a more reasonable level recently. If that were the case, a positive Value Rank would be a reason to invest because the company is still expected to grow, while stock prices are now at a more reasonable level. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance isn't stellar here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	75	37	63	60
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	38	86	42	10
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	39	12	14
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	71	83	93	43
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	83	81	65	15

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of West Pharmaceutical Services.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 98 (better than 98% compared with alternatives) for 2024, 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 73, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 73% 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 17, 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 83% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 98 (better than 98% 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. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with West Pharmaceutical Services and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	63	58	64	73
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	22	25	25	17
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	89	98	100	100
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	68	85	93	98

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of West Pharmaceutical Services and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	36	67	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	91	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	69	69	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	72	87	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	93	86	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for West Pharmaceutical Services.
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