MDLN vs WST vs BAX Stock Comparison

Medline, West Pharmaceutical Services and Baxter International Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
MDLN Medline Inc.
$33.69 -2.9% 1M
Market cap
$27.76B
P/E
33.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$28.57B
Div. yield
–
Medical Supplies Healthcare
1 win
BAX Baxter International Inc
$25.29 +8.2% 1M +9.9% 1Y
Market cap
$12.89B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$5.55B
Div. yield
0.01%
Medical Supplies Healthcare
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

West Pharmaceutical Services leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (West Pharmaceutical Services 9, Baxter International 2, Medline 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionMDLNWSTBAXLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $27.76B $28.21B $12.89B WST
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 33.2x 49.9x -12.1x MDLN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.4x 41.3x 12.8x BAX
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months — +12.4% -49.1% WST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 2.9% 17.0% -19.2% WST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 5.4% 16.9% 3.4% WST
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.2x -0.3x 4.8x WST
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% BAX
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months — +32.8% +9.9% WST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years — -1.3%/yr -21.0%/yr WST
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 44.5% 31.3% 44.4% WST
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 67/100 67/100 44/100 WST

Percentile Scorecard

MDLNWSTBAX

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

AxisMDLNWSTBAX
Valuation 82 #42 of 228 47 #122 of 228 82 #41 of 228
Growth – 40 #134 of 221 19 #180 of 221
Profitability 72 #59 of 208 92 #18 of 208 73 #57 of 208
Financial Health 41 #142 of 239 77 #55 of 239 19 #194 of 239
Shareholder Returns 72 #39 of 137 81 #27 of 137 27 #101 of 137
Overall 67 67 44
  • MDLN ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • WST ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics
  • BAX ranked among 248 companies in Medical Devices and Diagnostics

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodMDLNWSTBAXSPY
1 month -2.9%+6.6%+8.2% -0.8%
3 months -15.1%+19.2%+8.4% +3.5%
6 months -25.5%+30.7%+36.8% +7.0%
Year to date -19.8%+43.5%+32.3% +12.2%
1 year —+32.8%+9.9% +13.0%
3 years —+23.1%-21.4% +86.3%
3 years, per year —+7.2%-7.7% +23.1%
5 years —-6.3%-69.1% +68.6%
5 years, per year —-1.3%-21.0% +11.0%
10 years —+459.6%-46.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year —+18.8%-6.1% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureMDLNWSTBAXSPY
Volatility, 1Y 44.5%31.3%44.4% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 48.6%30.8%48.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.620.621.16 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y —1.050.22 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -36.7%-59.6%-82.3% -25.4%
From 52-week high -32.6%0.0%-10.8% -1.8%
52-week high $49.99$394.93$28.35 $779.14
52-week low $31.64$230.95$15.80 $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.

MultipleMDLNWSTBAX
P/E now vs peer median 34.5xmedian 30.6x 49.5xmedian 30.6x -12.3xmedian 30.6x
P/S now vs peer median 1.6xmedian 3.0x 8.4xmedian 3.0x 2.4xmedian 3.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.5xmedian 17.5x 32.0xmedian 17.5x 13.5xmedian 17.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 27.8xmedian 23.3x 63.6xmedian 23.3x 15.6xmedian 23.3x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 2.4x 9.3xmedian 2.4x 2.1xmedian 2.4x
PEG now vs peer median —median 0.87 10.27median 0.87 -0.43median 0.87

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 monthsMDLNWSTBAX
Revenue $28.57B $3.33B $5.55B
Gross profit $7.79B $1.22B $3.78B
Operating income $2.03B $680.40M $532.00M
Net income $1.03B $564.90M -$1.06B
Free cash flow $1.59B $436.90M $839.00M
R&D – $74.40M $542.00M
EPS (diluted) $0.97 $7.92 $-2.05
Cash & equivalents $2.33B $435.80M $2.15B
Total debt $12.58B $202.90M $9.46B
Shares (diluted) 861.00M 71.30M 518.00M
Enterprise value $20.71B $25.83B $5.02B

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
MetricMDLNWSTBAX
P/E 34.5x 49.5x -12.3x
P/FCF 27.8x 63.6x 15.6x
P/Operating cash flow 22.1x 42.0x 9.7x
P/S 1.6x 8.4x 2.4x
P/B 2.3x 9.3x 2.1x
P/Tangible book 8.0x 9.3x 6.1x
EV/EBITDA 17.5x 32.0x 13.5x
EV/EBIT 26.7x 40.5x 38.3x
EV/Revenue 1.9x 8.3x 3.7x
EV/FCF 34.1x 63.1x 24.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.0x 41.6x 15.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) – 10.27 -0.43

Growth

14 metrics
MetricMDLNWSTBAX
Revenue growth (1Y) – 12.4% -49.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) – 5.1% -23.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 17.2% -1.8%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 3.8% -5.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) – 17.0% -50.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) – 1.3% 29.5%
Net income growth (1Y) – 15.8% -604.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) – 2.9% 28.0%
EPS growth (1Y) – 17.8% -580.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) – 4.8% 28.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) – -2.1% 56.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – -2.2% -4.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) – 27.0% 153.5%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 3.3% -9.5%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricMDLNWSTBAX
Gross margin 27.3% 36.8% 68.1%
EBITDA margin 10.8% 25.9% 27.3%
Operating margin 7.1% 20.5% 9.6%
Pretax margin 4.3% 20.8% 5.1%
Net margin 2.9% 17.0% -19.2%
FCF margin 5.6% 13.1% 15.1%
Operating cash flow margin 7.0% 19.9% 24.2%
Return on equity 5.4% 18.4% -17.4%
Return on assets 2.6% 13.4% -5.4%
Return on invested capital 5.4% 16.9% 3.4%
Return on capital employed 5.6% 19.7% 3.3%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x 0.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.2x -1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.3% 1.0% 2.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricMDLNWSTBAX
Debt / assets 32.0% 5.0% 47.8%
Debt / equity 0.7x 0.1x 1.5x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.2x -0.3x 4.8x
Debt / FCF 7.9x 0.5x 11.3x
Liabilities / assets 51.5% 26.6% 68.6%
Equity / assets 48.5% 73.4% 31.4%
Interest coverage – 151.2x –
Current ratio 4.3x 2.8x 1.9x
Quick ratio 2.3x 1.8x 1.1x
Cash ratio 1.0x 0.7x 0.6x
Altman Z-score 2.49 18.66 2.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricMDLNWSTBAX
Dividend yield – 0.2% 0.2%
Net buyback yield 0.0% 1.5% -0.2%
Shareholder yield 0.0% 1.8% 0.0%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 11.0% -17.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) – 14.3% 21.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) – 3.8% -60.8%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 3.8% -32.0%

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.

ConsensusMDLNWSTBAX
Forward P/E 23.4xFY2026 41.3xFY2026 12.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.44FY2026 $9.56FY2026 $1.98FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +0.7%FY2026 +31.1%FY2026 -10.4%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +13.9% +10.6% -3.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.52BFY2026 $3.24BFY2026 $11.05BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +14.4%FY2026 +5.6%FY2026 -1.7%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +8.0% +16.8% +11.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersMDLNWSTBAX
Held by institutions 57.1% 99.5% 100.0%
Institutions holding 407 833 690
Change in shares held, QoQ +17.9% -0.9% +5.2%
Institutions buying 322 448 359
Institutions selling 68 261 193
Buyers to sellers 4.74 1.72 1.86

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.

MDLNWSTBAX
MDLN 1.00 0.09 0.30
WST 0.09 1.00 0.26
BAX 0.30 0.26 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, MDLN, WST and BAX?

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) is the largest by market capitalisation: Medline (MDLN) $27.76B, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) $28.21B, Baxter International (BAX) $12.89B.

Which stock is cheaper, MDLN, WST and BAX?

Medline (MDLN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Medline (MDLN) 33.2x, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 49.9x, Baxter International (BAX) -12.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Baxter International (BAX) is cheapest (Medline (MDLN) 23.4x, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 41.3x, Baxter International (BAX) 12.8x). 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: West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +12.4%, Baxter International (BAX) -49.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) has the highest net margin (Medline (MDLN) 2.9%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 17.0%, Baxter International (BAX) -19.2%). On return on invested capital, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) leads (Medline (MDLN) 5.4%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 16.9%, Baxter International (BAX) 3.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) returned the most: West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) +32.8%, Baxter International (BAX) +9.9%. Over five years, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) compounded fastest (West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) -1.3%/yr, Baxter International (BAX) -21.0%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Baxter International (BAX) has the highest dividend yield: Medline (MDLN) 0.00%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 0.00%, Baxter International (BAX) 0.01%. Medline (MDLN) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) has been the steadiest (Medline (MDLN) 44.5%, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) 31.3%, Baxter International (BAX) 44.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) leads on 9. 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.