NVO vs. WST: Novo Nordisk vs. West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Comparison

Company Profile

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

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) trades as ordinary local shares, while Novo Nordisk (NVO) 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

Novo Nordisk (NVO) is heavily traded at around 12.11M shares per day, whereas West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) sees a more moderate 603.86K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 58.38% 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.

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 33.92% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 18.81% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 40.05% 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 Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 6.43% 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 Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 1.77% 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 Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.85 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for NVO.

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.62 and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 0.11 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Both Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 29.03% 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 Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 45.36% 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

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 10.18 sits in the cheaper P/E ratio quartile, while West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 44.87 sits in the richer quartile — a clear split in what investors pay for each dollar of trailing earnings.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 0.53 sits in the cheaper P/S ratio quartile while West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 8.20 prices around its industry’s middle — NVO costs less per dollar of sales, though read it alongside growth and margins.

Novo Nordisk (NVO) at 5.43 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