NVS vs. WST: Novartis vs. West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Comparison

Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Performance at a Glance

Risk

Drawdown

Risk at a Glance

Company Profile

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

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

Valuation

Novartis (NVS) at 21.93 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 44.08 sits in the richer quartile — WST needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

On P/S ratio, both Novartis (NVS) at 5.16 and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 7.21 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 7.58 and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 7.80 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation at a Glance

Profitability

Both Novartis (NVS) at 34.93% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 19.13% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 23.92% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 16.85% keep an unusually large share of revenue as bottom-line profit — each net margin clears its industry’s benchmark range.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 30.48% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 21.70% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

Profitability at a Glance

Growth

Revenue Growth

Revenue Growth at a Glance

EPS Growth

EPS Growth at a Glance

Financial Strength

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 2.71 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Novartis (NVS) at 0.85 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for NVS.

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 0.11 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Novartis (NVS) at 1.21 uses more debt funding than most peers.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Dividends

Both Novartis (NVS) at 3.10% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 0.27% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

Both Novartis (NVS) at 67.91% and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) at 11.50% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

Dividends at a Glance