AZN vs. WST: AstraZeneca vs. West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Comparison

Company Profile

AstraZeneca (AZN) and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) both fall under the Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology & Life Sciences industry group, but AZN is classified in Pharmaceuticals while WST is classified in Life Sciences Tools & Services.

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) trades as ordinary local shares, while AstraZeneca (AZN) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 22.57% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 21.23% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 18.81% keeps the most of each sales dollar — above its industry’s net margin range — and AstraZeneca (AZN) at 17.68% also retains a top-quartile share.

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 29.57% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 25.37% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 8.63% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 6.25% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 45.33% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 1.49% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 2.82 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while AstraZeneca (AZN) at 1.01 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for AZN.

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 0.11 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while AstraZeneca (AZN) at 0.66 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 1.73% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 0.22% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 45.38% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 9.88% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

AstraZeneca (AZN) at 26.37 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 44.87 sits in the richer quartile — WST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

On P/S ratio, both AstraZeneca (AZN) at 4.63 and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 8.20 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

AstraZeneca (AZN) at 5.59 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 9.40 carries an above-peer premium to book — WST is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics