CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. vs Waste Management, Inc, two Waste Management stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Waste Management earns 27.88% on equity with almost no debt, 0.06 to equity, the payoff of national scale and steady pricing. Casella, a regional Northeast operator, is in the thick of a roll-up, so its net margin sits at 0.38% and its return on equity at 0.46%, near breakeven after acquisition costs. Waste Management converts far more of its price into free cash, 3.61% against 1.71%, and pays a 1.46% dividend. Casella trades at 3.82 times book, Waste Management at 9.10, the market pricing both the current earnings gap and the belief Casella closes it. Waste Management at $91.2B is fifteen times Casella at $6.0B.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | CWST | WM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $96.84 | $233.35 |
| Market cap | $6.2B | $94.4B |
| Sector | Waste Management | Waste Management |
| Stage | Growth | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +8.5% |
| P/E | — | 33.8 |
| P/B | 3.92 | 9.42 |
| P/S | 3.28 | 3.71 |
| EV/EBITDA | 19.0 | 13.0 |
| Revenue growth | +15.2% | +11.1% |
| Operating margin | 1.1% | 17.9% |
| Net margin | 0.4% | 11.0% |
| Return on equity | 0.5% | 27.9% |
| Return on assets | 0.2% | 6.1% |
| Return on invested capital | 1.9% | 33.5% |
| FCF yield | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.4% |
| Debt / equity | 0.74 | 0.06 |
| Current ratio | 1.38 | 0.93 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 6.56 | 2.75 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 6 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.