WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) Fundamental Analysis & Valuation
NYSE:WCN • CA94106B1013
Current stock price
162.59 USD
-2.24 (-1.36%)
At close:
162.59 USD
0 (0%)
After Hours:
This WCN fundamental analysis includes valuation metrics, fair value assessment, financial health analysis, profitability trends, growth metrics and dividend sustainability analysis.
1. WCN Profitability Analysis
1.1 Basic Checks
- In the past year WCN was profitable.
- In the past year WCN had a positive cash flow from operations.
- Each year in the past 5 years WCN has been profitable.
- WCN had a positive operating cash flow in each of the past 5 years.
1.2 Ratios
- WCN has a better Return On Assets (5.10%) than 71.95% of its industry peers.
- With a decent Return On Equity value of 13.06%, WCN is doing good in the industry, outperforming 70.73% of the companies in the same industry.
- WCN has a better Return On Invested Capital (7.60%) than 69.51% of its industry peers.
- Measured over the past 3 years, the Average Return On Invested Capital for WCN is below the industry average of 10.58%.
- The 3 year average ROIC (7.41%) for WCN is below the current ROIC(7.60%), indicating increased profibility in the last year.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ROA | 5.1% | ||
| ROE | 13.06% | ||
| ROIC | 7.6% |
ROA(3y)4.16%
ROA(5y)4.31%
ROE(3y)10.28%
ROE(5y)10.29%
ROIC(3y)7.41%
ROIC(5y)7%
1.3 Margins
- With an excellent Profit Margin value of 11.37%, WCN belongs to the best of the industry, outperforming 89.02% of the companies in the same industry.
- WCN's Profit Margin has improved in the last couple of years.
- The Operating Margin of WCN (19.48%) is better than 93.90% of its industry peers.
- In the last couple of years the Operating Margin of WCN has grown nicely.
- WCN's Gross Margin of 42.37% is fine compared to the rest of the industry. WCN outperforms 78.05% of its industry peers.
- WCN's Gross Margin has been stable in the last couple of years.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| OM | 19.48% | ||
| PM (TTM) | 11.37% | ||
| GM | 42.37% |
OM growth 3Y3.01%
OM growth 5Y3.6%
PM growth 3Y-0.62%
PM growth 5Y24.78%
GM growth 3Y2.05%
GM growth 5Y1.25%
2. WCN Health Analysis
2.1 Basic Checks
- The Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) is below the Cost of Capital (WACC), so WCN is destroying value.
- Compared to 1 year ago, WCN has less shares outstanding
- Compared to 5 years ago, WCN has less shares outstanding
- Compared to 1 year ago, WCN has a worse debt to assets ratio.
2.2 Solvency
- WCN has an Altman-Z score of 3.00. This indicates that WCN is financially healthy and has little risk of bankruptcy at the moment.
- WCN has a better Altman-Z score (3.00) than 67.07% of its industry peers.
- The Debt to FCF ratio of WCN is 7.23, which is on the high side as it means it would take WCN, 7.23 years of fcf income to pay off all of its debts.
- WCN's Debt to FCF ratio of 7.23 is fine compared to the rest of the industry. WCN outperforms 64.63% of its industry peers.
- WCN has a Debt/Equity ratio of 1.07. This is a high value indicating a heavy dependency on external financing.
- The Debt to Equity ratio of WCN (1.07) is worse than 64.63% of its industry peers.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt/Equity | 1.07 | ||
| Debt/FCF | 7.23 | ||
| Altman-Z | 3 |
ROIC/WACC0.97
WACC7.87%
2.3 Liquidity
- WCN has a Current Ratio of 0.62. This is a bad value and indicates that WCN is not financially healthy enough and could expect problems in meeting its short term obligations.
- With a Current ratio value of 0.62, WCN is not doing good in the industry: 85.37% of the companies in the same industry are doing better.
- A Quick Ratio of 0.58 indicates that WCN may have some problems paying its short term obligations.
- Looking at the Quick ratio, with a value of 0.58, WCN is doing worse than 84.15% of the companies in the same industry.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 0.62 | ||
| Quick Ratio | 0.58 |
3. WCN Growth Analysis
3.1 Past
- The Earnings Per Share has been growing slightly by 7.52% over the past year.
- Measured over the past years, WCN shows a quite strong growth in Earnings Per Share. The EPS has been growing by 14.21% on average per year.
- The Revenue has been growing slightly by 6.14% in the past year.
- Measured over the past years, WCN shows a quite strong growth in Revenue. The Revenue has been growing by 11.69% on average per year.
EPS 1Y (TTM)7.52%
EPS 3Y10.57%
EPS 5Y14.21%
EPS Q2Q%11.21%
Revenue 1Y (TTM)6.14%
Revenue growth 3Y9.49%
Revenue growth 5Y11.69%
Sales Q2Q%5%
3.2 Future
- Based on estimates for the next years, WCN will show a quite strong growth in Earnings Per Share. The EPS will grow by 9.22% on average per year.
- The Revenue is expected to grow by 5.74% on average over the next years.
EPS Next Y6.56%
EPS Next 2Y10.82%
EPS Next 3Y11.2%
EPS Next 5Y9.22%
Revenue Next Year5.2%
Revenue Next 2Y5.67%
Revenue Next 3Y5.81%
Revenue Next 5Y5.74%
3.3 Evolution
- When comparing the EPS growth rate of the last years to the growth rate of the upcoming years, we see that the growth is decreasing.
- When comparing the Revenue growth rate of the last years to the growth rate of the upcoming years, we see that the growth is decreasing.
4. WCN Valuation Analysis
4.1 Price/Earnings Ratio
- With a Price/Earnings ratio of 31.57, WCN can be considered very expensive at the moment.
- Based on the Price/Earnings ratio, WCN is valued a bit cheaper than 62.20% of the companies in the same industry.
- WCN's Price/Earnings ratio indicates a valuation a bit more expensive than the S&P500 average which is at 25.73.
- WCN is valuated quite expensively with a Price/Forward Earnings ratio of 29.63.
- Based on the Price/Forward Earnings ratio, WCN is valued a bit cheaper than 60.98% of the companies in the same industry.
- WCN's Price/Forward Earnings ratio indicates a valuation a bit more expensive than the S&P500 average which is at 23.72.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 31.57 | ||
| Fwd PE | 29.63 |
4.2 Price Multiples
- The rest of the industry has a similar Enterprise Value to EBITDA ratio as WCN.
- The rest of the industry has a similar Price/Free Cash Flow ratio as WCN.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| P/FCF | 34.08 | ||
| EV/EBITDA | 16.55 |
4.3 Compensation for Growth
- The high PEG Ratio(NY), which compensates the Price/Earnings for growth, indicates an expensive valuation of the company.
- The excellent profitability rating of WCN may justify a higher PE ratio.
PEG (NY)4.81
PEG (5Y)2.22
EPS Next 2Y10.82%
EPS Next 3Y11.2%
5. WCN Dividend Analysis
5.1 Amount
- WCN has a yearly dividend return of 0.81%, which is pretty low.
- WCN's Dividend Yield is a higher than the industry average which is at 0.80.
- Compared to an average S&P500 Dividend Yield of 1.91, WCN's dividend is way lower than the S&P500 average.
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 0.81% |
5.2 History
- The dividend of WCN is nicely growing with an annual growth rate of 11.37%!
- WCN has been paying a dividend for at least 10 years, so it has a reliable track record.
- WCN has not decreased its dividend in the last 3 years.
Dividend Growth(5Y)11.37%
Div Incr Years3
Div Non Decr Years3
5.3 Sustainability
- 31.01% of the earnings are spent on dividend by WCN. This is a low number and sustainable payout ratio.
- WCN's earnings are growing slower than its dividend. This means the dividend growth is not sustainable.
DP31.01%
EPS Next 2Y10.82%
EPS Next 3Y11.2%
WCN Fundamentals: All Metrics, Ratios and Statistics
162.59
-2.24 (-1.36%)
Chartmill FA Rating
GICS SectorIndustrials
GICS IndustryGroupCommercial & Professional Services
GICS IndustryCommercial Services & Supplies
Earnings (Last)02-11 2026-02-11/amc
Earnings (Next)04-21 2026-04-21/amc
Inst Owners90.22%
Inst Owner Change2.31%
Ins Owners0.12%
Ins Owner Change4.91%
Market Cap41.57B
Revenue(TTM)9.47B
Net Income(TTM)1.08B
Analysts83
Price Target149.42 (-8.1%)
Short Float %0.63%
Short Ratio0.9
Dividend
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 0.81% |
Yearly Dividend1.3
Dividend Growth(5Y)11.37%
DP31.01%
Div Incr Years3
Div Non Decr Years3
Ex-Date02-25 2026-02-25 (0.35)
Surprises & Revisions
EPS beat(2)1
Avg EPS beat(2)1.4%
Min EPS beat(2)-0.31%
Max EPS beat(2)3.11%
EPS beat(4)3
Avg EPS beat(4)1.65%
Min EPS beat(4)-0.31%
Max EPS beat(4)3.11%
EPS beat(8)6
Avg EPS beat(8)1.47%
EPS beat(12)9
Avg EPS beat(12)1.17%
EPS beat(16)11
Avg EPS beat(16)1.38%
Revenue beat(2)0
Avg Revenue beat(2)-0.71%
Min Revenue beat(2)-0.82%
Max Revenue beat(2)-0.59%
Revenue beat(4)0
Avg Revenue beat(4)-0.65%
Min Revenue beat(4)-0.82%
Max Revenue beat(4)-0.45%
Revenue beat(8)2
Avg Revenue beat(8)-0.2%
Revenue beat(12)2
Avg Revenue beat(12)-0.36%
Revenue beat(16)5
Avg Revenue beat(16)-0.21%
PT rev (1m)-1.92%
PT rev (3m)1.54%
EPS NQ rev (1m)-4.93%
EPS NQ rev (3m)-4.97%
EPS NY rev (1m)-4.52%
EPS NY rev (3m)-4.68%
Revenue NQ rev (1m)-0.96%
Revenue NQ rev (3m)-1.04%
Revenue NY rev (1m)-0.57%
Revenue NY rev (3m)-0.61%
Valuation
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 31.57 | ||
| Fwd PE | 29.63 | ||
| P/S | 4.39 | ||
| P/FCF | 34.08 | ||
| P/OCF | 17.22 | ||
| P/B | 5.04 | ||
| P/tB | N/A | ||
| EV/EBITDA | 16.55 |
EPS(TTM)5.15
EY3.17%
EPS(NY)5.49
Fwd EY3.38%
FCF(TTM)4.77
FCFY2.93%
OCF(TTM)9.44
OCFY5.81%
SpS37.03
BVpS32.25
TBVpS-8.42
PEG (NY)4.81
PEG (5Y)2.22
Graham Number61.13
Profitability
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ROA | 5.1% | ||
| ROE | 13.06% | ||
| ROCE | 9.7% | ||
| ROIC | 7.6% | ||
| ROICexc | 7.62% | ||
| ROICexgc | 16.88% | ||
| OM | 19.48% | ||
| PM (TTM) | 11.37% | ||
| GM | 42.37% | ||
| FCFM | 12.88% |
ROA(3y)4.16%
ROA(5y)4.31%
ROE(3y)10.28%
ROE(5y)10.29%
ROIC(3y)7.41%
ROIC(5y)7%
ROICexc(3y)7.44%
ROICexc(5y)7.03%
ROICexgc(3y)16.68%
ROICexgc(5y)15.84%
ROCE(3y)9.46%
ROCE(5y)8.93%
ROICexgc growth 3Y5.3%
ROICexgc growth 5Y5.84%
ROICexc growth 3Y5.56%
ROICexc growth 5Y6.23%
OM growth 3Y3.01%
OM growth 5Y3.6%
PM growth 3Y-0.62%
PM growth 5Y24.78%
GM growth 3Y2.05%
GM growth 5Y1.25%
F-Score6
Asset Turnover0.45
Health
| Industry Rank | Sector Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt/Equity | 1.07 | ||
| Debt/FCF | 7.23 | ||
| Debt/EBITDA | 2.86 | ||
| Cap/Depr | 96.94% | ||
| Cap/Sales | 12.62% | ||
| Interest Coverage | 5.98 | ||
| Cash Conversion | 78.48% | ||
| Profit Quality | 113.3% | ||
| Current Ratio | 0.62 | ||
| Quick Ratio | 0.58 | ||
| Altman-Z | 3 |
F-Score6
WACC7.87%
ROIC/WACC0.97
Cap/Depr(3y)93.59%
Cap/Depr(5y)94.33%
Cap/Sales(3y)12.03%
Cap/Sales(5y)12.17%
Profit Quality(3y)153.2%
Profit Quality(5y)149.35%
High Growth Momentum
Growth
EPS 1Y (TTM)7.52%
EPS 3Y10.57%
EPS 5Y14.21%
EPS Q2Q%11.21%
EPS Next Y6.56%
EPS Next 2Y10.82%
EPS Next 3Y11.2%
EPS Next 5Y9.22%
Revenue 1Y (TTM)6.14%
Revenue growth 3Y9.49%
Revenue growth 5Y11.69%
Sales Q2Q%5%
Revenue Next Year5.2%
Revenue Next 2Y5.67%
Revenue Next 3Y5.81%
Revenue Next 5Y5.74%
EBIT growth 1Y8.05%
EBIT growth 3Y12.78%
EBIT growth 5Y15.71%
EBIT Next Year80.66%
EBIT Next 3Y28.11%
EBIT Next 5Y19.08%
FCF growth 1Y3.99%
FCF growth 3Y3.2%
FCF growth 5Y10.39%
OCF growth 1Y8.31%
OCF growth 3Y6.08%
OCF growth 5Y11.38%
WASTE CONNECTIONS INC / WCN Fundamental Analysis FAQ
What is the ChartMill fundamental rating of WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) stock?
ChartMill assigns a fundamental rating of 5 / 10 to WCN.
What is the valuation status of WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) stock?
ChartMill assigns a valuation rating of 3 / 10 to WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN). This can be considered as Overvalued.
What is the profitability of WCN stock?
WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) has a profitability rating of 8 / 10.
What are the PE and PB ratios of WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) stock?
The Price/Earnings (PE) ratio for WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) is 31.57 and the Price/Book (PB) ratio is 5.04.
Can you provide the dividend sustainability for WCN stock?
The dividend rating of WASTE CONNECTIONS INC (WCN) is 5 / 10 and the dividend payout ratio is 31.01%.