BAX vs MCK vs WST Stock Comparison

Baxter International, Mckesson and West Pharmaceutical Services Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
BAX Baxter International Inc
$24.92 +6.6% 1M +7.6% 1Y
Market cap
$12.88B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.55B
Div. yield
0.16%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
1 win
MCK Mckesson Corp
$967.03 +11.6% 1M +19.2% 1Y
Market cap
$112.75B
P/E
25.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$410.98B
Div. yield
0.35%
Drug Distribution Healthcare
6 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Mckesson leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Mckesson 6, West Pharmaceutical Services 5, Baxter International 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionBAXMCKWSTLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $12.88B $112.75B $28.03B MCK
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -12.1x 25.0x 49.9x MCK
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 12.6x 20.5x 41.6x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -49.1% +8.8% +12.4% WST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -19.2% 1.1% 17.0% WST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 3.4% 107.9% 16.9% MCK
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 4.8x 0.6x -0.3x WST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.16% 0.35% 0.22% MCK
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +7.6% +19.2% +38.6% WST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years -20.5%/yr +36.4%/yr -1.1%/yr MCK
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.3% 30.7% 31.2% MCK
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 44/100 57/100 68/100 WST

Percentile Scorecard

BAXMCKWST

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisBAXMCKWST
Valuation 83 #40 of 227 50 #13 of 25 48 #119 of 227
Growth 19 #177 of 219 65 #9 of 24 40 #132 of 219
Profitability 72 #58 of 206 61 #10 of 24 92 #18 of 206
Financial Health 19 #193 of 238 52 #13 of 26 78 #54 of 238
Shareholder Returns 26 #99 of 134 57 #7 of 15 81 #26 of 134
Overall 44 57 68
  • BAX ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • MCK ranked among 27 companies in Healthcare Payers and Distributors
  • WST ranked among 247 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodBAXMCKWSTSPY
1 month +6.6%+11.6%+7.5% -0.2%
3 months +2.3%+8.7%+18.1% +3.9%
6 months +38.9%+15.8%+36.3% +8.2%
Year to date +30.4%+17.9%+44.7% +12.9%
1 year +7.6%+19.2%+38.6% +12.3%
3 years -22.5%+115.8%+24.0% +87.4%
3 years, per year -8.2%+29.3%+7.5% +23.3%
5 years -68.3%+371.7%-5.5% +67.9%
5 years, per year -20.5%+36.4%-1.1% +10.9%
10 years -46.8%+502.5%+449.7% +261.1%
10 years, per year -6.1%+19.7%+18.6% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureBAXMCKWSTSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.3%30.7%31.2% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 48.0%27.4%30.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 1.16-0.270.62 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.170.621.24 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -82.3%-27.2%-59.6% -25.4%
From 52-week high -12.1%-6.1%0.0% -1.2%
52-week high $28.35$1,030.18$398.10 $779.14
52-week low $15.80$725.17$230.95 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleBAXMCKWST
P/E now vs peer median -12.1xmedian 29.6x 25.0xmedian 23.9x 49.9xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 2.9x 0.3xmedian 0.3x 8.4xmedian 2.9x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.4xmedian 17.4x 16.2xmedian 13.4x 32.3xmedian 17.4x
P/FCF now vs peer median 15.4xmedian 22.3x 17.6xmedian 15.5x 64.1xmedian 22.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 2.3x -26.6xmedian 2.5x 9.4xmedian 2.3x
PEG now vs peer median -0.42median 1.04 2.09median 1.34 10.35median 1.04

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsBAXMCKWST
Revenue $5.55B $410.98B $3.33B
Gross profit $3.78B $14.96B $1.22B
Operating income $532.00M $6.50B $680.40M
Net income -$1.06B $5.30B $564.90M
Free cash flow $839.00M $6.42B $436.90M
R&D $542.00M – $74.40M
EPS (diluted) $-2.05 $38.52 $7.92
Cash & equivalents $2.15B $5.16B $435.80M
Total debt $9.46B $9.73B $202.90M
Shares (diluted) 518.00M 119.20M 71.30M
Enterprise value $4.99B $99.21B $25.65B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricBAXMCKWST
P/E -12.1x 25.0x 49.9x
P/FCF 15.4x 17.6x 64.1x
P/Operating cash flow 9.6x 16.5x 42.3x
P/S 2.3x 0.3x 8.4x
P/B 2.1x -26.6x 9.4x
P/Tangible book 6.0x -13.7x 9.4x
EV/EBITDA 13.4x 16.2x 32.3x
EV/EBIT 38.0x 18.1x 40.8x
EV/Revenue 3.6x 0.3x 8.4x
EV/FCF 24.1x 18.3x 63.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 15.0x 17.1x 42.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -0.42 2.09 10.35

Growth

14 metrics
MetricBAXMCKWST
Revenue growth (1Y) -49.1% 8.8% 12.4%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -23.5% 13.1% 5.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -1.8% 11.2% 17.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -5.2% 6.6% 3.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) -50.8% 46.6% 17.0%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 29.5% 13.5% 1.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -604.0% 58.1% 15.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 28.0% 10.7% 2.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -580.5% 52.8% 17.8%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 28.6% 12.0% 4.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 56.3% 4.7% -2.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -4.8% 10.7% -2.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 153.5% 6.8% 27.0%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -9.5% 11.3% 3.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricBAXMCKWST
Gross margin 68.1% 3.6% 36.8%
EBITDA margin 27.3% 1.8% 25.9%
Operating margin 9.6% 1.6% 20.5%
Pretax margin 5.1% 1.6% 20.8%
Net margin -19.2% 1.1% 17.0%
FCF margin 15.1% 1.6% 13.1%
Operating cash flow margin 24.2% 1.7% 19.9%
Return on equity -17.4% – 18.4%
Return on assets -5.4% 6.2% 13.4%
Return on invested capital 3.4% 107.9% 16.9%
Return on capital employed 3.3% 43.4% 19.7%
Asset turnover 0.3x 4.8x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -1.3x 1.3x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue 2.1% – 1.0%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricBAXMCKWST
Debt / assets 47.8% 11.0% 5.0%
Debt / equity 1.5x -2.3x 0.1x
Net debt / EBITDA 4.8x 0.6x -0.3x
Debt / FCF 11.3x 1.5x 0.5x
Liabilities / assets 68.6% 104.8% 26.6%
Equity / assets 31.4% -4.8% 73.4%
Interest coverage – 23.6x 151.2x
Current ratio 1.9x 0.9x 2.8x
Quick ratio 1.1x 0.5x 1.8x
Cash ratio 0.6x 0.1x 0.7x
Altman Z-score 2.12 5.89 18.78

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricBAXMCKWST
Dividend yield 0.2% 0.4% 0.2%
Net buyback yield -0.2% 5.9% 1.5%
Shareholder yield 0.0% 6.2% 1.8%
Payout ratio (earnings) -17.3% 7.4% 11.0%
Payout ratio (FCF) 21.9% 6.1% 14.3%
Dividend growth (1Y) -60.8% 11.3% 3.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -32.0% 10.0% 3.8%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusBAXMCKWST
Forward P/E 12.6xFY2026 20.5xFY2026 41.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.98FY2026 $47.15FY2026 $9.56FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -10.4%FY2026 +20.6%FY2026 +31.1%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -3.5% +11.0% +10.6%
Revenue, next fiscal year $11.05BFY2026 $444.47BFY2026 $3.24BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.7%FY2026 +10.2%FY2026 +5.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +11.7% +1.5% +16.8%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersBAXMCKWST
Held by institutions 100.0% 89.1% 99.5%
Institutions holding 690 2,009 833
Change in shares held, QoQ +5.2% -0.7% -0.9%
Institutions buying 359 881 448
Institutions selling 193 791 261
Buyers to sellers 1.86 1.11 1.72

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

BAXMCKWST
BAX 1.00 0.16 0.26
MCK 0.16 1.00 0.03
WST 0.26 0.03 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, BAX, MCK and WST?

Mckesson (MCK) is the largest by market capitalisation: Baxter International (BAX) $12.88B, Mckesson (MCK) $112.75B, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) $28.03B.

Which stock is cheaper, BAX, MCK and WST?

Mckesson (MCK) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Baxter International (BAX) -12.1x, Mckesson (MCK) 25.0x, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 49.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Baxter International (BAX) 12.6x, Mckesson (MCK) 20.5x, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 41.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Baxter International (BAX) -49.1%, Mckesson (MCK) +8.8%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +12.4%.

Which company is more profitable?

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) has the highest net margin (Baxter International (BAX) -19.2%, Mckesson (MCK) 1.1%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 17.0%). On return on invested capital, Mckesson (MCK) leads (Baxter International (BAX) 3.4%, Mckesson (MCK) 107.9%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 16.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) returned the most: Baxter International (BAX) +7.6%, Mckesson (MCK) +19.2%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +38.6%. Over five years, Mckesson (MCK) compounded fastest (Baxter International (BAX) -20.5%/yr, Mckesson (MCK) +36.4%/yr, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) -1.1%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Mckesson (MCK) has the highest dividend yield: Baxter International (BAX) 0.16%, Mckesson (MCK) 0.35%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 0.22%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Mckesson (MCK) has been the steadiest (Baxter International (BAX) 44.3%, Mckesson (MCK) 30.7%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 31.2%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, BAX, MCK and WST?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Mckesson (MCK) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.