Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. WCN scored 53.2, RSG scored 42.6 — WCN leads.
Compare another set
WCN
Waste Connections, Inc.
Waste Management · Quality-Growth
53.2
$152.83 · $38.4B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
10.6
WCN leads
RSG
Republic Services, Inc.
Waste Management · Quality-Growth
42.6
$216.88 · $66.4B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
CheapestRSG30.8x
Fastest growthWCN+5.7%
Strongest balance sheetRSG1.19
Highest qualityRSG69 / 100
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Growth against the P/E multiple. Up and to the right is cheaper and faster — the quality-growth idea in one picture. Points beyond the axis are pinned to the edge and marked off-scale rather than allowed to compress everything else.
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
WCN
stronger →← stronger
RSG
63
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
69
61
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
50
39
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
22
WCN is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
WCN
RSG
$1.2bC+
FCF
$2.7bB
+5.7%C+
Rev
+3.2%C+
1.22C
D/E
1.19C
36.9xC
P/E
30.8xC+
1.51C+
PEG
2.79C
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
WCN
RSG
84% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
48% above
~23%/yr
Growth the price impliesyr-1 FCF growth, fading to 4% · lower = less priced in
~17%/yr
-50%
1-yr DCF upside
-37%
-46%
5-yr DCF upside
-33%
-39%
10-yr DCF upside
-25%
These two disagree on this pair: the Value pillar ranks cheapness against sector peers, while price-vs-fair-value is an absolute read. A name can be the better value in its sector and still the dearer one on cash flows.
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
WCN
Why this score
Buying back stock
Raising its dividend
RSG
Why this score
Raising its dividend
The companies
WCNWaste Connections, Inc.
Waste Management · $152.83 · beta 0.48
Why now
Waste Management · market cap $38.4b. 15% off the 52-week high of $179.74. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $198.08 (implying +30% upside).
Moat
ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 116% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Trailing P/E 37x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
RSGRepublic Services, Inc.
Waste Management · $216.88 · beta 0.40
Why now
Waste Management · market cap $66.4b. 7% off the 52-week high of $233.42. 24 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $244.63 (implying +13% upside).
Moat
Net margin 13% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 18% is above 15% — the equity base is compounding at a rate the market struggles to discount accurately. FCF converts 121% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash.
Risk
Trailing P/E 31x sits well above the S&P median (~20x) — multiple compression is a real risk if revenue growth decelerates.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Where WCN and RSG diverge
On the headline score the gap is 10.6 points in favor of WCN. They get there differently, though — each leads on a different pillar, so the better pick depends on which you weight.
ValueWCN 38.6 · RSG 22.0WCN +16.6
GrowthWCN 61.3 · RSG 50.5WCN +10.8
QualityWCN 63.4 · RSG 69.5RSG +6.1
Pillars run 0–100. Value is judged against each company's own sector, so a Value score is a statement about a company relative to its own industry rather than to the other name here. A wide Value gap usually means the market already prices the difference in quality or growth — which is the trade-off this comparison comes down to.
Common questions
Is WCN or RSG the better stock?
WCN scores higher: WCN 53.2, RSG 42.6 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
Where do WCN and RSG differ most?
The widest gap is value, where WCN leads by 17 points on the 0–100 pillar scale. Neither name sweeps: they trade the lead across the three pillars, so the comparison is a trade-off rather than one being better on every measure.
How are WCN and RSG scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.