3m vs West Pharmaceutical Services (MMM vs WST)
Side by side from their SEC filings: revenue, margins, growth, returns and valuation, plus short interest, insider activity and institutional ownership.
3m is the larger company by revenue ($24.9B vs $3.1B) and market value ($82.3B vs $25.3B). West Pharmaceutical Services has grown revenue faster over the last 4 fiscal years (+8.6% cumulative vs -29.4%). 3m trades at the lower trailing P/E (30.4x vs 48.5x).
About 3m
3M Company is a diversified technology firm operating globally in three main segments: Safety and Industrial, Transportation and Electronics, and Consumer. It manufactures a wide range of products including abrasives, adhesives, personal safety equipment, electronic materials, home care items, and office supplies. The company serves various markets such as industrial, automotive, aerospace, electronics, and consumer goods through multiple distribution channels worldwide.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Inc manufactures advanced containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products. Its main offerings include proprietary packaging components, drug delivery devices, and contract manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biologic, generic, diagnostic, and medical device companies worldwide. The company operates through two segments: Proprietary Products, which provides packaging and delivery solutions, and Contract-Manufactured Products, which focuses on custom manufacturing and assembly of complex devices.
Head to head (MMM FY2025 vs WST FY2025)
| Metric | MMMFY2025 | WSTFY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $24.95B | $3.07B |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | 1.5% | 6.3% |
| Gross margin | 39.9% | 35.9% |
| Operating margin | 18.6% | 19.0% |
| Net margin | 13.0% | 16.1% |
| Net income | $3.25B | $493.7M |
| Diluted EPS | $6.00 | $6.79 |
| FCF margin | 5.6% | 15.3% |
| ROE | 68.5% | 15.5% |
| Debt / equity | 2.3× | 0.1× |
| Market cap | $82.25B | $25.31B |
| P/E (TTM) | 30.4× | 48.5× |
Fundamentals are from each company’s SEC filings (MMM FY2025, WST FY2025). P/E and market cap are derived from recent market prices and update daily.
Five-year trend (as reported)
| Revenue | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MMM | $35.35B | $26.16B | $24.61B | $24.57B | $24.95B |
| WST | $2.83B | $2.89B | $2.95B | $2.89B | $3.07B |
Peer standing
Where each company ranks among the 88 medical device companies, on the same scale. Each figure is ranked only against peers that report it. Percentiles describe position in the distribution, not a rating.
| Metric | MMM | WST |
|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 39.9%17th percentile of 77 | 35.9%11th percentile of 77 |
| Operating margin | 18.6%89th percentile of 80 | 19.0%90th percentile of 80 |
| Net margin | 13.0%84th percentile of 81 | 16.1%89th percentile of 81 |
| FCF margin | 5.6%66th percentile of 74 | 15.3%82nd percentile of 74 |
| Revenue growth (YoY) | +1.5%22nd percentile of 87 | +6.3%30th percentile of 87 |
| ROE | 68.5%97th percentile of 79 | 15.5%85th percentile of 79 |
| P/E (TTM) | 30.4×48th percentile of 32 | 48.5×81st percentile of 32 |
| Debt / equity | 2.30×87th percentile of 54 | 0.06×9th percentile of 54 |
| Short interest (days to cover) | 2.32d29th percentile of 88 | 2.33d30th percentile of 88 |
Short interest
| FINRA settlement data | MMM | WST |
|---|---|---|
| Shares sold short | 9.8M | 2.3M |
| Change vs prior settlement | -16.5% | +1.3% |
| Days to cover | 2.32 | 2.33 |
| As of settlement | 2026-06-30 | 2026-06-30 |
Source: FINRA Consolidated Short Interest. FINRA is the owner and source of the FINRA-supplied data; republishing or redistributing it is not permitted. Not presented as a percentage of float. No FINRA endorsement of this product is implied.
Insider activity (last 90 days)
| Form 4 open-market activity | MMM | WST |
|---|---|---|
| Buys | — | 0 |
| Sells | — | 2 ($1.1M) |
Open-market purchases and sales reported on SEC Form 4 (grants, exercises and tax withholding excluded). For context, about 16% of covered companies saw any open-market insider buy in a 90-day window.
Held by the same investors
8 tracked 13F managers hold both 3m and West Pharmaceutical Services as of their latest quarterly filings: AQR Capital Management, Bridgewater Associates, Citadel Advisors, D. E. Shaw, Gotham Asset Management, Millennium Management, Renaissance Technologies, Two Sigma Investments. See which superinvestors hold your own portfolio with the smart money checker.
Go deeper
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Data sourced from SEC EDGAR (public domain). Figures are as-reported and may be unaudited or restated; verify against the source filings before relying on them. Comparisons are descriptive (higher or lower on a reported figure), not a rating or a recommendation. Informational only. Not investment advice.