Is WAT or WST cheaper?

On trailing earnings, WST is cheaper: WAT trades at a 47.57 P/E and WST at 46.84.

Which has grown faster, WAT or WST?

Over the past five years, WAT grew revenue faster — WAT at a 8.48% CAGR versus WST at 6.72%.

Does WAT or WST pay a bigger dividend?

WST pays a dividend (0.25% yield) while WAT does not currently pay one.

Is WAT or WST more profitable?

WST runs the higher net margin — WAT at 11.91% versus WST at 16.85%.

Which has been the better investment, WAT or WST?

Over the past 10-year, WST delivered the higher annualized total return — WAT at 10.69% versus WST at 17.45%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Waters Corporation (WAT) vs West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST)

WST leads on 8 of 15 compared metrics.

A side-by-side comparison of Waters Corporation and West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of June 27, 2026. The ● marks the stronger figure on each row (cheaper multiple, higher margin/return).

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

$24.79B

$350.85Healthcare

Total return — WAT vs WST

growth of $100 · last 30y

WAT +4871.4%WST +5121.0%WST compounded faster

WAT WST

WAT vs WST: by the numbers

•WST is the larger company ($24.79B vs $24.41B market cap).
•WST trades at the lower earnings multiple (46.84 vs 47.57 P/E).
•WST converts more revenue to profit (16.85% vs 11.91% net margin).
•WAT grew revenue faster over the past five years (8.48% vs 6.72% CAGR).
•WST pays a dividend (0.25% yield) while WAT does not currently pay one.

Which is better, WAT or WST?

Metric tally: WAT 7 · WST 8

It depends on what you're optimizing for:

GrowthWAT(faster 5Y revenue CAGR)

QualityWAT(higher ROIC)

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	WAT	WST
P/E ratio	47.57	46.84
Forward P/E	22.80●	36.63
P/S ratio	8.16	7.89●
P/B ratio	2.01●	8.49
PEG ratio	75.61	33.99●
EV / EBITDA	37.64	29.94●
FCF yield	0.86%	1.80%●

Profitability

Metric	WAT	WST
Gross margin	55.02%●	36.24%
Operating margin	28.22%●	20.67%
Net margin	11.91%	16.85%●
ROE	2.94%	18.15%●
ROIC	17.57%●	13.62%

Dividends

Metric	WAT	WST
Dividend yield	—	0.25%
Payout ratio	—	12.88%

Growth (annualized)

Metric	WAT	WST
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	8.48%●	6.72%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	5.16%	7.85%●
FCF CAGR (5Y)	-17.63%	8.32%●
Total return CAGR (5Y)	2.08%●	-0.26%

Frequently asked

Which is better, WAT or WST?: It depends on your goal. growth: WAT (faster 5Y revenue CAGR); quality: WAT (higher ROIC). Across all compared metrics, WST leads 8 to 7.
Is WAT or WST cheaper?: On trailing earnings, WST is cheaper: WAT trades at a 47.57 P/E and WST at 46.84.
Which has grown faster, WAT or WST?: Over the past five years, WAT grew revenue faster — WAT at a 8.48% CAGR versus WST at 6.72%.
Does WAT or WST pay a bigger dividend?: WST pays a dividend (0.25% yield) while WAT does not currently pay one.
Is WAT or WST more profitable?: WST runs the higher net margin — WAT at 11.91% versus WST at 16.85%.
Which has been the better investment, WAT or WST?: Over the past 10-year, WST delivered the higher annualized total return — WAT at 10.69% versus WST at 17.45%. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full WAT analysis Full WST analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Waters P/E ratio West Pharmaceutical Services P/E ratio Waters dividend yield West Pharmaceutical Services dividend yield Waters ROE West Pharmaceutical Services ROE Waters operating margin West Pharmaceutical Services operating margin Waters revenue growth West Pharmaceutical Services revenue growth Waters free cash flow West Pharmaceutical Services free cash flow

Waters & West Pharmaceutical Services appear in these rankings

Dividend Aristocrats Best 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified June 27, 2026.