CWST vs LODE vs WCN Stock Comparison

Casella Waste Systems, Comstock and Waste Connections Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
LODE Comstock Inc.
$1.71 -36.2% 1M -42.4% 1Y
Market cap
$128.50M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$1.01M
Div. yield
–
Solid Waste Industrials
WCN Waste Connections, Inc.
$186.57 +20.0% 1M +5.5% 1Y
Market cap
$47.35B
P/E
44.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.76B
Div. yield
0.01%
Solid Waste Industrials
9 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Waste Connections leads on 9 of the 12 questions below (Waste Connections 9, Casella Waste Systems 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCWSTLODEWCNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $6.12B $128.50M $47.35B WCN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 1,074x -2.1x 44.6x WCN
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 75.7x — 34.9x WCN
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.6% -69.1% +5.7% CWST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 0.3% -6,012.3% 10.9% WCN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 1.5% — 7.4% WCN
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.4x — 2.9x WCN
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +7.5% -42.4% +5.5% CWST
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +3.1%/yr -41.2%/yr +6.8%/yr WCN
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.0% 80.3% 25.7% WCN
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 41/100 21/100 57/100 WCN

Percentile Scorecard

CWSTLODEWCN

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

AxisCWSTLODEWCN
Valuation 40 #10 of 16 7 #15 of 16 27 #12 of 16
Growth 39 #9 of 14 15 #12 of 14 69 #5 of 14
Profitability 54 #7 of 14 8 #13 of 14 85 #3 of 14
Financial Health 33 #11 of 16 73 #5 of 16 20 #13 of 16
Shareholder Returns – 0 #8 of 8 86 #2 of 8
Overall 41 21 57
  • CWST ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • LODE ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • WCN ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCWSTLODEWCNSPY
1 month +15.1%-36.2%+20.0% -1.0%
3 months +9.2%-42.8%+10.0% +2.9%
6 months +21.7%-47.4%+12.3% +6.4%
Year to date -0.3%-54.5%+6.4% +11.4%
1 year +7.5%-42.4%+5.5% +13.1%
3 years +30.1%-58.3%+38.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +9.2%-25.3%+11.6% +21.5%
5 years +16.7%-92.9%+39.0% +67.7%
5 years, per year +3.1%-41.2%+6.8% +10.9%
10 years +793.9%-97.6%+276.4% +255.2%
10 years, per year +24.5%-31.3%+14.2% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureCWSTLODEWCNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.0%80.3%25.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.1%81.9%23.3% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.102.09-0.19 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.20-0.530.22 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.7%-94.3%-25.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.1%-64.2%0.0% -2.5%
52-week high $107.34$4.77$186.57 $779.14
52-week low $74.97$1.71$149.02 $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.

MultipleCWSTLODEWCN
P/E now vs peer median 1,089xmedian 33.8x -2.1xmedian 33.8x 44.6xmedian 33.8x
P/S now vs peer median 3.1xmedian 3.4x 128.0xmedian 3.4x 4.8xmedian 3.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.9xmedian 15.8x -1.7xmedian 15.8x 17.9xmedian 15.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 57.9xmedian 18.4x -3.3xmedian 18.4x 38.2xmedian 18.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.9xmedian 3.1x 0.9xmedian 3.1x 5.9xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median -21.38median 4.14 -0.09median 4.14 5.09median 4.14

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 monthsCWSTLODEWCN
Revenue $1.96B $1.01M $9.76B
Gross profit $653.52M -$1.68M $4.15B
Operating income $66.07M -$59.32M $1.66B
Net income $5.70M -$61.13M $1.06B
Free cash flow $105.67M -$39.16M $1.23B
R&D – $11.28M –
EPS (diluted) $0.09 $-1.66 $4.18
Cash & equivalents $25.54M $31.41M $98.18M
Total debt $1.36B – $9.32B
Shares (diluted) 63.69M 36.71M 253.86M
Enterprise value $5.24B -$4.54M $46.97B

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
MetricCWSTLODEWCN
P/E 1,089x -2.1x 44.6x
P/FCF 57.9x -3.3x 38.2x
P/Operating cash flow 17.4x -4.3x 18.7x
P/S 3.1x 128.0x 4.8x
P/B 3.9x 0.9x 5.9x
P/Tangible book 4.9x 1.0x 7.9x
EV/EBITDA 18.9x -1.7x 17.9x
EV/EBIT 112.8x -1.7x 33.9x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 97.0x 5.8x
EV/FCF 70.5x -2.5x 45.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 21.2x -3.2x 22.4x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -21.38 -0.09 5.09

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCWSTLODEWCN
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.6% -69.1% 5.7%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 20.4% 95.1% 8.4%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.6% -248.9% 7.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 20.0% – 10.6%
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.1% -34.3% 47.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -8.5% -43.3% 8.6%
Net income growth (1Y) -48.4% -11.6% 64.7%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -47.8% -17.9% 8.1%
EPS growth (1Y) -48.5% 49.5% 68.0%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -50.9% 23.0% 8.8%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.9% -70.7% 8.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.0% -40.2% 6.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.1% -105.4% 8.1%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.9% -35.3% 2.9%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCWSTLODEWCN
Gross margin 33.4% -165.6% 42.5%
EBITDA margin 20.1% -5,651% 32.2%
Operating margin 3.4% -5,846% 17.0%
Pretax margin 0.5% -5,767% 14.2%
Net margin 0.3% -6,012% 10.9%
FCF margin 5.4% -3,860% 12.6%
Operating cash flow margin 18.0% -3,009% 25.7%
Return on equity 0.4% -40.7% 13.3%
Return on assets 0.2% -29.7% 5.0%
Return on invested capital 1.5% – 7.4%
Return on capital employed 2.1% -31.6% 8.7%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.0x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 61.6x 0.5x 2.4x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 63.9% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCWSTLODEWCN
Debt / assets 38.3% – 43.6%
Debt / equity 0.9x – 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.4x – 2.9x
Debt / FCF 12.9x – 7.6x
Liabilities / assets 55.6% 27.3% 63.0%
Equity / assets 44.4% 72.7% 37.0%
Interest coverage 1.0x -68.6x 4.8x
Current ratio 1.0x 3.2x 0.7x
Quick ratio 0.8x 1.9x 0.5x
Cash ratio 0.1x 1.7x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 2.42 -2.28 3.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCWSTLODEWCN
Dividend yield – – 0.8%
Net buyback yield – -75.2% 2.4%
Shareholder yield – -75.2% 3.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 32.8%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 28.2%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 9.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 10.9%

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.

ConsensusCWSTLODEWCN
Forward P/E 75.7xFY2026 – 34.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $1.29FY2026 $-0.62FY2026 $5.35FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.6%FY2026 – +4.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +17.1% – +20.4%
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.05BFY2026 $4.79MFY2026 $10.23BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.6%FY2026 +208.8%FY2026 +9.2%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.1% +827.1% -0.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCWSTLODEWCN
Held by institutions 100.0% 57.0% 85.2%
Institutions holding 415 107 829
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% +21.1% +1.3%
Institutions buying 231 67 410
Institutions selling 127 22 303
Buyers to sellers 1.82 3.05 1.35

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.

CWSTLODEWCN
CWST 1.00 0.04 0.54
LODE 0.04 1.00 0.03
WCN 0.54 0.03 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CWST, LODE and WCN?

Waste Connections (WCN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Casella Waste Systems (CWST) $6.12B, Comstock (LODE) $128.50M, Waste Connections (WCN) $47.35B.

Which stock is cheaper, CWST, LODE and WCN?

Waste Connections (WCN) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 1,074x, Comstock (LODE) -2.1x, Waste Connections (WCN) 44.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Waste Connections (WCN) is cheapest (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 75.7x, Waste Connections (WCN) 34.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Casella Waste Systems (CWST) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +13.6%, Comstock (LODE) -69.1%, Waste Connections (WCN) +5.7%.

Which company is more profitable?

Waste Connections (WCN) has the highest net margin (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 0.3%, Comstock (LODE) -6,012.3%, Waste Connections (WCN) 10.9%). On return on invested capital, Waste Connections (WCN) leads (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 1.5%, Waste Connections (WCN) 7.4%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Casella Waste Systems (CWST) returned the most: Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +7.5%, Comstock (LODE) -42.4%, Waste Connections (WCN) +5.5%. Over five years, Waste Connections (WCN) compounded fastest (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +3.1%/yr, Comstock (LODE) -41.2%/yr, Waste Connections (WCN) +6.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 0.00%, Comstock (LODE) 0.00%, Waste Connections (WCN) 0.01%. Casella Waste Systems (CWST) and Comstock (LODE) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Waste Connections (WCN) has been the steadiest (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 37.0%, Comstock (LODE) 80.3%, Waste Connections (WCN) 25.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CWST, LODE and WCN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Waste Connections (WCN) 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.