WM vs CWST vs LODE Stock Comparison

Waste Management, Casella Waste Systems and Comstock Prices as of Oct 28, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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WM Waste Management Inc
$225.20 +9.1% 1M +10.3% 1Y
Market cap
$89.56B
P/E
29.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$26.07B
Div. yield
1.62%
Solid Waste Industrials
10 wins
LODE Comstock Inc.
$1.71 -29.9% 1M -43.8% 1Y
Market cap
$129.88M
P/E
–
Revenue (TTM)
$1.01M
Div. yield
–
Solid Waste Industrials

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Waste Management leads on 10 of the 12 questions below (Waste Management 10, Casella Waste Systems 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionWMCWSTLODELeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $89.56B $5.55B $129.88M WM
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 29.3x 987.3x -2.1x WM
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 26.0x 68.6x — WM
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.2% +13.6% -69.1% CWST
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.8% 0.3% -6,012.3% WM
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 11.4% 1.5% — WM
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 3.0x 3.4x — WM
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 1.62% — — –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +10.3% +0.7% -43.8% WM
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +7.0%/yr +0.4%/yr -40.2%/yr WM
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 21.4% 37.5% 80.1% WM
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 53/100 49/100 29/100 WM

Percentile Scorecard

WMCWSTLODE

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

AxisWMCWSTLODE
Valuation 53 #8 of 16 47 #9 of 16 13 #14 of 16
Growth 62 #6 of 14 54 #7 of 14 23 #11 of 14
Profitability 92 #2 of 14 62 #6 of 14 8 #13 of 14
Financial Health 7 #15 of 16 33 #11 of 16 73 #5 of 16
Shareholder Returns – – –
Overall 53 49 29
  • WM ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • CWST 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

PeriodWMCWSTLODESPY
1 month +9.1%+8.5%-29.9% +0.9%
3 months -4.8%-2.2%-36.7% +5.9%
6 months -2.2%+13.3%-46.2% +8.5%
Year to date +2.5%-9.6%-54.5% +13.3%
1 year +10.3%+0.7%-43.8% +12.4%
3 years +39.5%+20.4%-57.3% +88.1%
3 years, per year +11.8%+6.4%-24.7% +23.5%
5 years +40.5%+2.1%-92.3% +68.2%
5 years, per year +7.0%+0.4%-40.2% +11.0%
10 years +252.0%+707.8%-97.0% +263.4%
10 years, per year +13.4%+23.2%-29.6% +13.8%

Risk

MeasureWMCWSTLODESPY
Volatility, 1Y 21.4%37.5%80.1% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 20.8%34.9%81.6% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.420.092.10 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.480.02-0.55 0.98
Max drawdown, 5Y -18.7%-37.7%-94.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.6%-17.5%-64.2% -0.9%
52-week high $246.51$107.34$4.77 $779.14
52-week low $196.77$74.97$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.

MultipleWMCWSTLODE
P/E now vs peer median 29.3xmedian 31.3x 987.3xmedian 31.3x -2.1xmedian 31.3x
P/S now vs peer median 3.4xmedian 3.1x 2.8xmedian 3.1x 128.0xmedian 3.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 14.5xmedian 14.3x 17.5xmedian 14.3x -1.7xmedian 14.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 23.9xmedian 16.9x 52.5xmedian 16.9x -3.3xmedian 16.9x
P/B now vs peer median 9.1xmedian 2.7x 3.5xmedian 2.7x 0.9xmedian 2.7x
PEG now vs peer median 2.79median 2.37 -19.39median 2.37 -0.09median 2.37

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 monthsWMCWSTLODE
Revenue $26.07B $1.96B $1.01M
Gross profit $10.53B $653.52M -$1.68M
Operating income $4.80B $66.07M -$59.32M
Net income $3.07B $5.70M -$61.13M
Free cash flow $3.74B $105.67M -$39.16M
R&D – – $11.28M
EPS (diluted) $7.68 $0.09 $-1.66
Cash & equivalents $247.00M $25.54M $31.41M
Total debt $23.37B $1.36B –
Shares (diluted) 399.80M 63.69M 36.71M
Enterprise value $88.40B $4.67B $160.97K

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
MetricWMCWSTLODE
P/E 29.3x 987.3x -2.1x
P/FCF 23.9x 52.5x -3.3x
P/Operating cash flow 13.6x 15.8x -4.3x
P/S 3.4x 2.8x 128.0x
P/B 9.1x 3.5x 0.9x
P/Tangible book 14.2x 4.5x 1.0x
EV/EBITDA 14.5x 17.5x -1.7x
EV/EBIT 23.5x 104.2x -1.7x
EV/Revenue 4.3x 3.5x 97.0x
EV/FCF 30.1x 65.2x -2.5x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.2x 19.6x -3.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.79 -19.39 -0.09

Growth

14 metrics
MetricWMCWSTLODE
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.2% 13.6% -69.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.0% 20.4% 95.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) -21.0% 12.6% -248.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 11.5% 20.0% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 17.9% 1.1% -34.3%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.5% -8.5% -43.3%
Net income growth (1Y) 19.7% -48.4% -11.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 10.0% -47.8% -17.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 21.1% -48.5% 49.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 10.5% -50.9% 23.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 12.1% 2.9% -70.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 14.4% 19.0% -40.2%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 55.7% 16.1% -105.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 30.8% 8.9% -35.3%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricWMCWSTLODE
Gross margin 40.4% 33.4% -165.6%
EBITDA margin 29.8% 20.1% -5,651%
Operating margin 18.4% 3.4% -5,846%
Pretax margin 14.9% 0.5% -5,767%
Net margin 11.8% 0.3% -6,012%
FCF margin 14.3% 5.4% -3,860%
Operating cash flow margin 25.2% 18.0% -3,009%
Return on equity 31.0% 0.4% -40.7%
Return on assets 6.6% 0.2% -29.7%
Return on invested capital 11.4% 1.5% –
Return on capital employed 12.0% 2.1% -31.6%
Asset turnover 0.6x 0.6x 0.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.1x 61.6x 0.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 0.7% 63.9%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricWMCWSTLODE
Debt / assets 50.2% 38.3% –
Debt / equity 2.4x 0.9x –
Net debt / EBITDA 3.0x 3.4x –
Debt / FCF 6.2x 12.9x –
Liabilities / assets 78.8% 55.6% 27.3%
Equity / assets 21.2% 44.4% 72.7%
Interest coverage – 1.0x -68.6x
Current ratio 0.8x 1.0x 3.2x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.8x 1.9x
Cash ratio 0.0x 0.1x 1.7x
Altman Z-score 2.89 2.24 -2.28

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricWMCWSTLODE
Dividend yield 1.6% – –
Net buyback yield 1.7% – -75.2%
Shareholder yield 3.3% – -75.2%
Payout ratio (earnings) 48.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 39.4% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 13.2% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 9.6% – –

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.

ConsensusWMCWSTLODE
Forward P/E 26.0xFY2026 68.6xFY2026 –
EPS, next fiscal year $8.65FY2026 $1.29FY2026 $-0.62FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +15.3%FY2026 +1.6%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after +9.5% +16.3% –
Revenue, next fiscal year $25.84BFY2026 $2.05BFY2026 $4.79MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +2.6%FY2026 +11.6%FY2026 +208.8%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +12.0% +7.1% +827.1%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersWMCWSTLODE
Held by institutions 82.3% 100.0% 57.0%
Institutions holding 2,349 415 107
Change in shares held, QoQ +0.8% +4.2% +21.1%
Institutions buying 1,095 231 67
Institutions selling 901 127 22
Buyers to sellers 1.22 1.82 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.

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

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, WM, CWST and LODE?

Waste Management (WM) is the largest by market capitalisation: Waste Management (WM) $89.56B, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) $5.55B, Comstock (LODE) $129.88M.

Which stock is cheaper, WM, CWST and LODE?

Waste Management (WM) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Waste Management (WM) 29.3x, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 987.3x, Comstock (LODE) -2.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Waste Management (WM) is cheapest (Waste Management (WM) 26.0x, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 68.6x). 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 Management (WM) +5.2%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +13.6%, Comstock (LODE) -69.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Waste Management (WM) has the highest net margin (Waste Management (WM) 11.8%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 0.3%, Comstock (LODE) -6,012.3%). On return on invested capital, Waste Management (WM) leads (Waste Management (WM) 11.4%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 1.5%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Waste Management (WM) returned the most: Waste Management (WM) +10.3%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +0.7%, Comstock (LODE) -43.8%. Over five years, Waste Management (WM) compounded fastest (Waste Management (WM) +7.0%/yr, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) +0.4%/yr, Comstock (LODE) -40.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Waste Management (WM) 1.62%. 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 (Waste Management (WM) 21.4%, Casella Waste Systems (CWST) 37.5%, Comstock (LODE) 80.1%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, WM, CWST 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 10. 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.