WCN vs CWST vs CLH Stock Comparison

Waste Connections, Casella Waste Systems and Clean Harbors Prices as of Nov 5, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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WCN Waste Connections, Inc.
$191.63 +23.9% 1M +15.5% 1Y
Market cap
$47.27B
P/E
41.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.94B
Div. yield
0.01%
Solid Waste Industrials
2 wins
CLH Clean Harbors Inc
$277.79 -12.7% 1M +34.2% 1Y
Market cap
$14.74B
P/E
27.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.56B
Div. yield
–
Hazardous Waste Industrials
8 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Clean Harbors leads on 8 of the 12 questions below (Clean Harbors 8, Waste Connections 2, Casella Waste Systems 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionWCNCWSTCLHLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $47.27B $6.19B $14.74B WCN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 41.7x 1,086x 27.9x CLH
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 35.4x 77.6x 26.0x CLH
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +6.3% +13.6% +10.1% CWST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.4% 0.3% 8.0% WCN
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 7.9% 1.5% 10.9% CLH
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 2.9x 3.4x 1.8x CLH
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +15.5% +11.2% +34.2% CLH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.4%/yr +3.1%/yr +21.2%/yr CLH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.6% 37.2% 25.4% CLH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 56/100 46/100 68/100 CLH

Percentile Scorecard

WCNCWSTCLH

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

AxisWCNCWSTCLH
Valuation 25 #13 of 17 38 #11 of 17 63 #7 of 17
Growth 71 #5 of 15 50 #8 of 15 79 #4 of 15
Profitability 79 #4 of 15 64 #6 of 15 86 #3 of 15
Financial Health 19 #14 of 17 31 #12 of 17 69 #6 of 17
Shareholder Returns 86 #2 of 8 – 43 #5 of 8
Overall 56 46 68
  • WCN ranked among 17 companies in Waste Management
  • CWST ranked among 17 companies in Waste Management
  • CLH ranked among 17 companies in Waste Management

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodWCNCWSTCLHSPY
1 month +23.9%+21.9%-12.7% -5.9%
3 months +14.5%+10.6%-9.7% -4.6%
6 months +24.8%+17.1%-1.6% +0.2%
Year to date +9.3%+2.2%+18.5% +7.5%
1 year +15.5%+11.2%+34.2% +8.2%
3 years +44.7%+25.5%+79.9% +68.3%
3 years, per year +13.1%+7.9%+21.6% +19.0%
5 years +42.6%+16.4%+161.8% +56.5%
5 years, per year +7.4%+3.1%+21.2% +9.4%
10 years +288.1%+807.2%+531.1% +251.5%
10 years, per year +14.5%+24.7%+20.2% +13.4%

Risk

MeasureWCNCWSTCLHSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.6%37.2%25.4% 13.6%
Downside volatility, 1Y 22.9%34.5%25.7% 14.2%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.130.010.33 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.600.301.35 0.60
Max drawdown, 5Y -25.5%-37.7%-30.9% -25.4%
From 52-week high -0.2%-6.8%-15.1% -5.9%
52-week high $191.94$107.34$327.10 $779.14
52-week low $149.02$74.97$201.73 $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.

MultipleWCNCWSTCLH
P/E now vs peer median 42.5xmedian 31.3x 1,116xmedian 31.3x 27.7xmedian 31.3x
P/S now vs peer median 4.8xmedian 3.2x 3.2xmedian 3.2x 2.2xmedian 3.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 17.5xmedian 15.3x 19.3xmedian 15.3x 12.8xmedian 15.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 38.4xmedian 17.7x 59.3xmedian 17.7x 29.3xmedian 17.7x
P/B now vs peer median 6.1xmedian 2.0x 4.0xmedian 2.0x 4.7xmedian 2.0x
PEG now vs peer median 3.58median 2.86 -21.92median 2.86 1.91median 2.86

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 monthsWCNCWSTCLH
Revenue $9.94B $1.96B $6.56B
Gross profit $4.24B $653.52M $2.17B
Operating income $1.76B $66.07M $864.39M
Net income $1.13B $5.70M $528.36M
Free cash flow $1.25B $105.67M $500.54M
EPS (diluted) $4.50 $0.09 $9.99
Cash & equivalents $95.69M $25.54M $423.54M
Total debt $9.45B $1.36B $2.89B
Shares (diluted) 251.87M 63.69M 52.90M
Enterprise value $46.92B $5.31B $12.08B

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
MetricWCNCWSTCLH
P/E 42.5x 1,116x 27.7x
P/FCF 38.4x 59.3x 29.3x
P/Operating cash flow 19.0x 17.9x 14.4x
P/S 4.8x 3.2x 2.2x
P/B 6.1x 4.0x 4.7x
P/Tangible book 8.1x 5.1x 6.5x
EV/EBITDA 17.5x 19.3x 12.8x
EV/EBIT 32.5x 115.1x 19.7x
EV/Revenue 5.8x 3.9x 2.6x
EV/FCF 45.9x 72.0x 34.0x
EV/Operating cash flow 22.7x 21.7x 16.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.58 -21.92 1.91

Growth

14 metrics
MetricWCNCWSTCLH
Revenue growth (1Y) 6.3% 13.6% 10.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 8.2% 20.4% 7.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 7.6% 12.6% 17.2%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.2% 20.0% 10.0%
Operating income growth (1Y) 61.8% 1.1% 32.6%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.0% -8.5% 13.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 82.2% -48.4% 36.0%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 10.9% -47.8% 13.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 86.3% -48.5% 38.1%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 11.9% -50.9% 14.5%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 4.2% 2.9% 25.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 6.5% 19.0% 12.1%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 1.2% 16.1% 11.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.8% 8.9% 17.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricWCNCWSTCLH
Gross margin 42.6% 33.4% 33.1%
EBITDA margin 32.9% 20.1% 20.3%
Operating margin 17.7% 3.4% 13.2%
Pretax margin 14.7% 0.5% 10.9%
Net margin 11.4% 0.3% 8.0%
FCF margin 12.6% 5.4% 7.6%
Operating cash flow margin 25.4% 18.0% 15.5%
Return on equity 14.3% 0.4% 17.5%
Return on assets 5.3% 0.2% 6.6%
Return on invested capital 7.9% 1.5% 10.9%
Return on capital employed 9.1% 2.1% 12.8%
Asset turnover 0.5x 0.6x 0.8x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.2x 61.6x 1.9x
Stock comp / revenue 0.8% 0.7% 0.7%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricWCNCWSTCLH
Debt / assets 43.9% 38.3% 34.9%
Debt / equity 1.2x 0.9x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 2.9x 3.4x 1.8x
Debt / FCF 7.6x 12.9x 5.8x
Liabilities / assets 63.3% 55.6% 62.4%
Equity / assets 36.7% 44.4% 37.6%
Interest coverage 4.9x 1.0x –
Current ratio 0.7x 1.0x 1.9x
Quick ratio 0.6x 0.8x 1.6x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.1x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 3.18 2.46 3.56

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricWCNCWSTCLH
Dividend yield 0.8% – –
Net buyback yield 2.1% – 1.4%
Shareholder yield 2.8% – 1.4%
Payout ratio (earnings) 31.4% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 28.4% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 9.4% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 10.7% – –

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.

ConsensusWCNCWSTCLH
Forward P/E 35.4xFY2026 77.6xFY2026 26.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $5.41FY2026 $1.29FY2026 $10.69FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +6.1%FY2026 +1.6%FY2026 +46.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +18.3% +16.3% -3.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $10.30BFY2026 $2.05BFY2026 $6.42BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +10.0%FY2026 +11.6%FY2026 +6.5%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after 0.0% +7.1% +14.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersWCNCWSTCLH
Held by institutions 85.2% 100.0% 93.5%
Institutions holding 832 417 660
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.3% +4.2% 0.0%
Institutions buying 412 231 308
Institutions selling 303 127 246
Buyers to sellers 1.36 1.82 1.25

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.

WCNCWSTCLH
WCN 1.00 0.58 0.35
CWST 0.58 1.00 0.27
CLH 0.35 0.27 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, WCN, CWST and CLH?

Waste Connections (WCN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Waste Connections (WCN) $47.27B, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) $6.19B, Clean Harbors (CLH) $14.74B.

Which stock is cheaper, WCN, CWST and CLH?

Clean Harbors (CLH) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Waste Connections (WCN) 41.7x, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 1,086x, Clean Harbors (CLH) 27.9x). On next year's consensus earnings, Clean Harbors (CLH) is cheapest (Waste Connections (WCN) 35.4x, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 77.6x, Clean Harbors (CLH) 26.0x). 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: Waste Connections (WCN) +6.3%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +13.6%, Clean Harbors (CLH) +10.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Waste Connections (WCN) has the highest net margin (Waste Connections (WCN) 11.4%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 0.3%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 8.0%). On return on invested capital, Clean Harbors (CLH) leads (Waste Connections (WCN) 7.9%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 1.5%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 10.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Clean Harbors (CLH) returned the most: Waste Connections (WCN) +15.5%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +11.2%, Clean Harbors (CLH) +34.2%. Over five years, Clean Harbors (CLH) compounded fastest (Waste Connections (WCN) +7.4%/yr, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +3.1%/yr, Clean Harbors (CLH) +21.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

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

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Clean Harbors (CLH) has been the steadiest (Waste Connections (WCN) 25.6%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 37.2%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 25.4%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

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

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Clean Harbors (CLH) leads on 8. 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.