GFL vs CLH vs WM Stock Comparison

GFL Environmental, Clean Harbors and Waste Management Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
GFL GFL Environmental Inc.
$45.52 +8.7% 1M -1.2% 1Y
Market cap
$16.86B
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$7.00B
Div. yield
–
Solid Waste Industrials
1 win
CLH Clean Harbors Inc
$318.70 +1.8% 1M +30.8% 1Y
Market cap
$16.74B
P/E
38.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.24B
Div. yield
–
Hazardous Waste Industrials
4 wins
WM Waste Management Inc
$239.38 +15.1% 1M +10.8% 1Y
Market cap
$96.86B
P/E
34.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$25.67B
Div. yield
0.01%
Solid Waste Industrials
6 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Waste Management leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Waste Management 6, Clean Harbors 4, GFL Environmental 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionGFLCLHWMLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $16.86B $16.74B $96.86B WM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only -336.6x 38.1x 34.0x WM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 74.6x 31.1x 27.7x WM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +9.7% +5.1% +7.2% GFL
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months -0.7% 7.0% 11.1% WM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.6% 9.7% 10.7% WM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.0x 1.9x 3.0x CLH
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -1.2% +30.8% +10.8% CLH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.0%/yr +22.7%/yr +7.8%/yr CLH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 29.1% 27.9% 21.3% WM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 66/100 54/100 CLH

Percentile Scorecard

GFLCLHWM

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

AxisGFLCLHWM
Valuation 80 #4 of 16 60 #7 of 16 47 #9 of 16
Growth 31 #10 of 14 54 #7 of 14 77 #4 of 14
Profitability 62 #6 of 14 77 #4 of 14 92 #2 of 14
Financial Health 27 #12 of 16 80 #4 of 16 13 #14 of 16
Shareholder Returns – 57 #4 of 8 43 #5 of 8
Overall 50 66 54
  • GFL ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • CLH ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • WM ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodGFLCLHWMSPY
1 month +8.7%+1.8%+15.1% -1.0%
3 months +14.7%+4.9%+0.2% +2.9%
6 months +12.6%+3.1%+4.3% +6.4%
Year to date +6.0%+35.9%+9.0% +11.4%
1 year -1.2%+30.8%+10.8% +13.1%
3 years +55.1%+105.0%+54.8% +79.4%
3 years, per year +15.8%+27.1%+15.7% +21.5%
5 years +10.2%+177.7%+45.6% +67.7%
5 years, per year +2.0%+22.7%+7.8% +10.9%
10 years —+603.7%+284.8% +255.2%
10 years, per year —+21.5%+14.4% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureGFLCLHWMSPY
Volatility, 1Y 29.1%27.9%21.3% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.9%31.1%20.5% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.240.26-0.42 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.041.110.51 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.9%-30.9%-18.7% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.1%-2.6%-2.9% -2.5%
52-week high $46.51$327.10$246.51 $779.14
52-week low $33.54$201.73$196.77 $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.

MultipleGFLCLHWM
P/E now vs peer median -335.8xmedian 33.8x 38.3xmedian 33.8x 33.7xmedian 33.8x
P/S now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 3.4x 2.7xmedian 3.4x 3.7xmedian 3.4x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 15.8x 15.9xmedian 15.8x 15.8xmedian 15.8x
P/FCF now vs peer median 6.2xmedian 18.4x 36.4xmedian 18.4x 26.8xmedian 18.4x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 3.1x 5.7xmedian 3.1x 9.6xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median -12.11median 4.14 10.77median 4.14 4.14median 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 monthsGFLCLHWM
Revenue $7.00B $6.24B $25.67B
Gross profit $1.47B $2.01B $10.49B
Operating income $1.71B $739.29M $4.51B
Net income -$249.50M $439.05M $2.85B
Free cash flow $2.72B $461.72M $3.57B
EPS (diluted) $-0.13 $8.29 $7.09
Cash & equivalents $192.10M $408.36M $557.00M
Total debt $19.12B $2.77B $93.65B
Shares (diluted) 378.69M 52.96M 402.40M
Enterprise value $14.98B $13.75B $95.77B

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
MetricGFLCLHWM
P/E -335.8x 38.3x 33.7x
P/FCF 6.2x 36.4x 26.8x
P/Operating cash flow 11.2x 18.6x 14.7x
P/S 2.4x 2.7x 3.7x
P/B 2.2x 5.7x 9.6x
P/Tangible book 3.1x 7.7x 15.2x
EV/EBITDA 8.4x 15.9x 15.8x
EV/EBIT 15.4x 25.8x 26.3x
EV/Revenue 3.8x 3.1x 4.6x
EV/FCF 9.7x 41.3x 33.2x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.4x 21.1x 18.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -12.11 10.77 4.14

Growth

14 metrics
MetricGFLCLHWM
Revenue growth (1Y) 9.7% 5.1% 7.2%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -1.8% 5.3% 8.6%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 16.5% 10.2% -18.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 12.3% 6.5% 11.8%
Operating income growth (1Y) 1.4% 13.5% 7.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -3.8% 4.5% 9.1%
Net income growth (1Y) -107.0% 14.1% 4.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 8.6% 2.6% 7.7%
EPS growth (1Y) -101.4% 15.9% 5.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 27.7% 3.6% 8.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 13.9% 19.9% 15.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) -8.3% 7.3% 14.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 7.7% 20.0% 65.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -2.6% 12.0% 33.4%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricGFLCLHWM
Gross margin 20.9% 32.3% 40.9%
EBITDA margin 44.5% 19.2% 29.3%
Operating margin 24.4% 11.8% 17.6%
Pretax margin -3.8% 9.6% 14.1%
Net margin -0.7% 7.0% 11.1%
FCF margin 38.9% 7.4% 13.9%
Operating cash flow margin 21.6% 14.5% 25.4%
Return on equity -3.3% 15.4% 28.6%
Return on assets -1.2% 5.7% 6.2%
Return on invested capital 7.6% 9.7% 10.7%
Return on capital employed 8.9% 11.3% 11.2%
Asset turnover 0.3x 0.8x 0.6x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) -6.1x 2.1x 2.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.0% 0.7% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricGFLCLHWM
Debt / assets 44.6% 35.4% 50.3%
Debt / equity 1.3x 0.9x 2.4x
Net debt / EBITDA 3.0x 1.9x 3.0x
Debt / FCF 3.5x 6.0x 6.5x
Liabilities / assets 65.0% 62.6% 78.6%
Equity / assets 35.0% 37.4% 21.4%
Interest coverage 3.0x – –
Current ratio 0.8x 2.1x 0.9x
Quick ratio 0.6x 1.7x 0.8x
Cash ratio 0.1x 0.4x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 1.27 3.90 2.97

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricGFLCLHWM
Dividend yield 0.2% – 1.5%
Net buyback yield – 1.4% 1.0%
Shareholder yield 0.2% 1.4% 2.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 50.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 40.0%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 12.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 8.9%

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.

ConsensusGFLCLHWM
Forward P/E 74.6xFY2026 31.1xFY2026 27.7xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $0.61FY2026 $10.26FY2026 $8.65FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +10.9%FY2026 +40.9%FY2026 +15.3%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +23.0% +4.8% +9.5%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.02BFY2026 $6.27BFY2026 $25.84BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +25.0%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026 +2.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +22.5% +15.5% +12.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersGFLCLHWM
Held by institutions 74.8% 93.5% 82.3%
Institutions holding 323 658 2,348
Change in shares held, QoQ +10.3% 0.0% +0.8%
Institutions buying 185 306 1,094
Institutions selling 101 246 901
Buyers to sellers 1.83 1.24 1.21

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.

GFLCLHWM
GFL 1.00 0.31 0.41
CLH 0.31 1.00 0.30
WM 0.41 0.30 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, GFL, CLH and WM?

Waste Management (WM) is the largest by market capitalisation: GFL Environmental (GFL) $16.86B, Clean Harbors (CLH) $16.74B, Waste Management (WM) $96.86B.

Which stock is cheaper, GFL, CLH and WM?

Waste Management (WM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (GFL Environmental (GFL) -336.6x, Clean Harbors (CLH) 38.1x, Waste Management (WM) 34.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, Waste Management (WM) is cheapest (GFL Environmental (GFL) 74.6x, Clean Harbors (CLH) 31.1x, Waste Management (WM) 27.7x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

GFL Environmental (GFL) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: GFL Environmental (GFL) +9.7%, Clean Harbors (CLH) +5.1%, Waste Management (WM) +7.2%.

Which company is more profitable?

Waste Management (WM) has the highest net margin (GFL Environmental (GFL) -0.7%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 7.0%, Waste Management (WM) 11.1%). On return on invested capital, Waste Management (WM) leads (GFL Environmental (GFL) 7.6%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 9.7%, Waste Management (WM) 10.7%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Clean Harbors (CLH) returned the most: GFL Environmental (GFL) -1.2%, Clean Harbors (CLH) +30.8%, Waste Management (WM) +10.8%. Over five years, Clean Harbors (CLH) compounded fastest (GFL Environmental (GFL) +2.0%/yr, Clean Harbors (CLH) +22.7%/yr, Waste Management (WM) +7.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: GFL Environmental (GFL) 0.00%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 0.00%, Waste Management (WM) 0.01%. GFL Environmental (GFL) and Clean Harbors (CLH) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Waste Management (WM) has been the steadiest (GFL Environmental (GFL) 29.1%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 27.9%, Waste Management (WM) 21.3%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, GFL, CLH and WM?

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 6. 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.