West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) and Aethlon Medical (NASDAQ:AEMD – Get Free Report) are both medical companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, dividends, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
93.9% of West Pharmaceutical Services shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 2.0% of Aethlon Medical shares are held by institutional investors. 0.5% of West Pharmaceutical Services shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Aethlon Medical shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for West Pharmaceutical Services and Aethlon Medical, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| West Pharmaceutical Services | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2.80 |
| Aethlon Medical | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares West Pharmaceutical Services and Aethlon Medical”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| West Pharmaceutical Services | $2.88 billion | 8.38 | $593.40 million | $6.74 | 49.36 |
| Aethlon Medical | $570,000.00 | 22.29 | -$12.21 million | ($2.82) | -0.32 |
West Pharmaceutical Services has higher revenue and earnings than Aethlon Medical. Aethlon Medical is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than West Pharmaceutical Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Volatility & Risk
West Pharmaceutical Services has a beta of 1, indicating that its share price has a similar volatility profile to the S&P 500.Comparatively, Aethlon Medical has a beta of 1.61, indicating that its share price is 61% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares West Pharmaceutical Services and Aethlon Medical’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| West Pharmaceutical Services | 17.37% | 18.41% | 13.74% |
| Aethlon Medical | N/A | -160.36% | -115.74% |
Summary
West Pharmaceutical Services beats Aethlon Medical on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products. The Proprietary Products segment offers stoppers and seals for injectable packaging systems; syringe and cartridge components, including custom solutions for the needs of injectable drug applications, as well as administration systems that enhance the safe delivery of drugs through advanced reconstitution, mixing, and transfer technologies; and films, coatings, washing, and vision inspection and sterilization processes and services to enhance the quality of packaging components. This segment also provides drug containment solutions, including Crystal Zenith, a cyclic olefin polymer in the form of vials, syringes, and cartridges; and self-injection devices; and a range of integrated solutions, including analytical lab services, pre-approval primary packaging support and engineering development, regulatory expertise, and after-sales technical support. This segment serves biologic, generic, and pharmaceutical drug companies. The Contract-Manufactured Products segment is involved in the design, manufacture, and automated assembly of devices used in surgical, diagnostic, ophthalmic, injectable, and other drug delivery systems, as well as consumer products. The company serves pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical device companies. It sells and distributes its products through its sales force and distribution network, contract sales agents, and regional distributors. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Exton, Pennsylvania.
About Aethlon Medical
Aethlon Medical, Inc., a medical therapeutic company, focuses on developing products to treat cancer and life-threatening infectious diseases in the United States. It develops Hemopurifier, a clinical-stage immunotherapeutic device that removes tumor-derived exosomes and life-threatening viruses and use in organ transplantation. The company was incorporated in 1999 and is based in San Diego, California.
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