WS

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. stock research

Sep 30, 2023

FY2023 Q3

West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Sep 30, 2023

Revenue, gross profit, and cost of revenue all decreased slightly from the prior quarter, while gross margin weakened marginally. Compared to the same quarter last year, revenue and gross profit were higher, but gross margin was lower, as cost of revenue grew more than proportionally.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Sep 30, 2023 · FY2023 Q3

Revenue, gross profit, and cost of revenue all decreased slightly from the prior quarter, while gross margin weakened marginally. Compared to the same quarter last year, revenue and gross profit were higher, but gross margin was lower, as cost of revenue grew more than proportionally.

  • The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between cost of revenue and revenue: cost of revenue decreased less than revenue from the prior quarter, and increased more than revenue year over year, compressing gross margin.
  • Compared to the prior quarter, gross margin was slightly lower, with revenue and gross profit both declining modestly. Versus the same quarter last year, gross margin weakened, as revenue and gross profit increased but cost of revenue rose at a faster pace.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

38.6%

Gross profit

$288.3M

Revenue

$747.4M

Cost of revenue

$459.1M

Quarter-over-quarter change

-0.1 pts

Year-over-year change

-0.4 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Mar 31, 2023$716.6M$271.3M$445.3M37.9%
Jun 30, 2023$753.8M$291.4M$462.4M38.7%
Sep 30, 2023$747.4M$288.3M$459.1M38.6%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Jun 30, 2023

-0.1 pts

Year-over-year change

Sep 30, 2022

-0.4 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

The strongest observable margin driver is the relationship between cost of revenue and revenue: cost of revenue decreased less than revenue from the prior quarter, and increased more than revenue year over year, compressing gross margin.

Compared to the prior quarter, gross margin was slightly lower, with revenue and gross profit both declining modestly. Versus the same quarter last year, gross margin weakened, as revenue and gross profit increased but cost of revenue rose at a faster pace.

Monitor the trend in cost of revenue relative to revenue, as its faster growth year over year has pressured gross margin.

WST Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Sep 30, 2023