CWST vs WM vs LODE Stock Comparison

Casella Waste Systems, Waste Management and Comstock Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
WM Waste Management Inc
$235.63 +13.9% 1M +10.2% 1Y
Market cap
$94.25B
P/E
30.8x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.07B
Div. yield
1.55%
Solid Waste Industrials
7 wins
LODE Comstock Inc.
$1.75 -31.9% 1M -42.4% 1Y
Market cap
$132.92M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$1.01M
Div. yield
–
Solid Waste Industrials

Head to Head

9 decided of 12

Waste Management leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Waste Management 7, Casella Waste Systems 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCWSTWMLODELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.87B $94.25B $132.92M WM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 1,045x 30.8x -2.2x WM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 72.6x 27.2x — WM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +13.6% +5.2% -69.1% CWST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 0.3% — -6,012.3% CWST
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 1.5% — — –
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.4x — — –
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield — 1.55% — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +5.5% +10.2% -42.4% WM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.4%/yr +8.4%/yr -40.3%/yr WM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.0% 21.4% 80.1% WM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 47/100 61/100 27/100 WM

Percentile Scorecard

CWSTWMLODE

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

AxisCWSTWMLODE
Valuation 40 #10 of 16 60 #7 of 16 7 #15 of 16
Growth 39 #9 of 14 77 #4 of 14 15 #12 of 14
Profitability 62 #6 of 14 92 #2 of 14 8 #13 of 14
Financial Health 47 #9 of 16 13 #14 of 16 80 #4 of 16
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 47 61 27
  • CWST ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • WM ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • LODE ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodCWSTWMLODESPY
1 month +13.9%+13.9%-31.9% -0.2%
3 months +2.9%-1.6%-38.6% +3.9%
6 months +20.5%+3.6%-46.0% +8.2%
Year to date -4.3%+7.2%-53.5% +12.9%
1 year +5.5%+10.2%-42.4% +12.3%
3 years +27.5%+46.0%-56.3% +87.4%
3 years, per year +8.4%+13.5%-24.1% +23.3%
5 years +12.7%+49.6%-92.4% +67.9%
5 years, per year +2.4%+8.4%-40.3% +10.9%
10 years +755.8%+271.9%-97.1% +261.1%
10 years, per year +24.0%+14.0%-29.8% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCWSTWMLODESPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.0%21.4%80.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.0%20.8%81.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.09-0.422.10 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.150.48-0.53 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -37.7%-18.7%-94.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -12.7%-4.4%-63.3% -1.2%
52-week high $107.34$246.51$4.77 $779.14
52-week low $74.97$196.77$1.70 $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.

MultipleCWSTWMLODE
P/E now vs peer median 1,045xmedian 33.2x 30.8xmedian 33.2x -2.2xmedian 33.2x
P/S now vs peer median 3.0xmedian 3.3x 3.6xmedian 3.3x 131.0xmedian 3.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.3xmedian 14.5x —median 14.5x -1.8xmedian 14.5x
P/FCF now vs peer median 55.6xmedian 16.4x 23.2xmedian 16.4x -3.4xmedian 16.4x
P/B now vs peer median 3.7xmedian 3.0x 9.6xmedian 3.0x 0.9xmedian 3.0x
PEG now vs peer median -20.53median 2.81 3.00median 2.81 -0.09median 2.81

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 monthsCWSTWMLODE
Revenue $1.96B $26.07B $1.01M
Gross profit $653.52M – -$1.68M
Operating income $66.07M $4.80B -$59.32M
Net income $5.70M $3.07B -$61.13M
Free cash flow $105.67M – -$39.16M
R&D – – $11.28M
EPS (diluted) $0.09 $7.63 $-1.66
Cash & equivalents $25.54M $247.00M $31.41M
Total debt $1.36B – –
Shares (diluted) 63.69M 402.40M 36.71M
Enterprise value $4.99B $94.25B $3.20M

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
MetricCWSTWMLODE
P/E 1,045x 30.8x -2.2x
P/FCF 55.6x 23.2x -3.4x
P/Operating cash flow 16.7x 8.2x -4.4x
P/S 3.0x 3.6x 131.0x
P/B 3.7x 9.6x 0.9x
P/Tangible book 4.7x 14.9x 1.0x
EV/EBITDA 18.3x – -1.8x
EV/EBIT 109.1x – -1.7x
EV/Revenue 3.7x 3.6x 100.0x
EV/FCF 68.2x – -2.6x
EV/Operating cash flow 20.5x 8.2x -3.3x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -20.53 3.00 -0.09

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCWSTWMLODE
Revenue growth (1Y) 13.6% 5.2% -69.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 20.4% 9.0% 95.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 12.6% – -248.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 20.0% – –
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.1% 17.9% -34.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -8.5% 10.5% -43.3%
Net income growth (1Y) -48.4% 19.7% -11.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -47.8% 10.0% -17.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -48.5% 20.3% 49.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -50.9% 10.3% 23.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 2.9% 95.1% -70.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 19.0% 37.6% -40.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 16.1% – -105.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 8.9% – -35.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCWSTWMLODE
Gross margin 33.4% – -165.6%
EBITDA margin 20.1% – -5,651%
Operating margin 3.4% – -5,846%
Pretax margin 0.5% – -5,767%
Net margin 0.3% – -6,012%
FCF margin 5.4% – -3,860%
Operating cash flow margin 18.0% 43.8% -3,009%
Return on equity 0.4% 31.0% -40.7%
Return on assets 0.2% 6.6% -29.7%
Return on invested capital 1.5% – –
Return on capital employed 2.1% – -31.6%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.6x 0.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 61.6x 3.7x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% – 63.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCWSTWMLODE
Debt / assets 38.3% – –
Debt / equity 0.9x – –
Net debt / EBITDA 3.4x – –
Debt / FCF 12.9x – –
Liabilities / assets 55.6% 78.8% 27.3%
Equity / assets 44.4% 21.2% 72.7%
Interest coverage 1.0x – -68.6x
Current ratio 1.0x 0.8x 3.2x
Quick ratio 0.8x – 1.9x
Cash ratio 0.1x – 1.7x
Altman Z-score 2.34 – -2.24

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCWSTWMLODE
Dividend yield – 1.5% –
Net buyback yield – – -73.5%
Shareholder yield – 1.5% -73.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

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.

ConsensusCWSTWMLODE
Forward P/E 72.6xFY2026 27.2xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $1.29FY2026 $8.65FY2026 $-0.62FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +1.6%FY2026 +15.3%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +16.3% +9.5% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $2.05BFY2026 $25.84BFY2026 $4.79MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +11.6%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026 +208.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.1% +12.0% +827.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCWSTWMLODE
Held by institutions 100.0% 82.3% 57.0%
Institutions holding 415 2,348 107
Change in shares held, QoQ +4.2% +0.8% +21.1%
Institutions buying 231 1,094 67
Institutions selling 127 901 22
Buyers to sellers 1.82 1.21 3.05

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.

CWSTWMLODE
CWST 1.00 0.56 0.04
WM 0.56 1.00 -0.02
LODE 0.04 -0.02 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CWST, WM and LODE?

Waste Management (WM) is the largest by market capitalisation: Casella Waste Systems (CWST) $5.87B, Waste Management (WM) $94.25B, Comstock (LODE) $132.92M.

Which stock is cheaper, CWST, WM and LODE?

Waste Management (WM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 1,045x, Waste Management (WM) 30.8x, Comstock (LODE) -2.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Waste Management (WM) is cheapest (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 72.6x, Waste Management (WM) 27.2x). 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%, Waste Management (WM) +5.2%, Comstock (LODE) -69.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Casella Waste Systems (CWST) has the highest net margin (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 0.3%, Comstock (LODE) -6,012.3%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Waste Management (WM) returned the most: Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +5.5%, Waste Management (WM) +10.2%, Comstock (LODE) -42.4%. Over five years, Waste Management (WM) compounded fastest (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +2.4%/yr, Waste Management (WM) +8.4%/yr, Comstock (LODE) -40.3%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Waste Management (WM) 1.55%. Casella Waste Systems (CWST) and Comstock (LODE) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Waste Management (WM) has been the steadiest (Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 37.0%, Waste Management (WM) 21.4%, Comstock (LODE) 80.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Waste Management (WM) leads on 7. 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.