COMPARE · Reviewed August 3, 2026
WM vs ZWS
Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. WM scored 52.5, ZWS scored 68.7 — ZWS leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. WM's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but ZWS's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
WM
Waste Management, Inc.
52.5
$225.30 · $90.1B
fundamentals as of
Score gap
16.2
ZWS leads
ZWS
Zurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation
68.7
$52.77 · $8.8B
fundamentals as of
The model, pillar by pillar (0–100 each)
WM
stronger →← stronger
ZWS
80
Qualityreturns · margins · balance sheet
73
65
Growthrevenue & earnings expansion
87
28
Valuevaluation vs sector peers
51
ZWS is stronger on 2 of 3 pillars.
Fundamentals, head-to-head
WM
ZWS
$3.6bB
FCF
$308mC
+7.2%B
Rev
+10.0%B
2.35D
D/E
0.33A-
59.3xC
P/E
32.8xB
2.31C
PEG
1.65C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade in our model; a tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
Valuation · DCF cross-check
WM
ZWS
39% above
Price vs fair valuelower is cheaper
33% above
~16%/yr
Growth the price implies10-yr FCF · lower = less priced in
~14%/yr
-36%
1-yr DCF upside
-33%
-28%
5-yr DCF upside
-25%
-14%
10-yr DCF upside
-12%
The DCF is a cross-check on intrinsic value, separate from the quality-growth score above.
Model signals
WM
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
- Durable high returns
ZWS
Why this score
- Raising its dividend
The companies
WMWaste Management, Inc.
Why now
Waste Management · market cap $90.1b. 9% off the 52-week high of $248.13. 25 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $260.64 (implying +16% upside).
Moat
ROE 29% — top-decile capital efficiency. Either pricing leverage, low capital intensity, or aggressive buybacks; the durability story depends on which. FCF converts 125% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined. $90.1b market cap gives the company enough scale to absorb fixed costs that subscale competitors can't, without yet being so large that growth has to come from acquisition.
Risk
D/E 2.35 is elevated — limits strategic flexibility and raises refinancing exposure if rates stay higher for longer. Trailing P/E 59.3x prices in sustained high growth — any quarter that disappoints triggers sharp re-rating.
ZWSZurn Elkay Water Solutions Corporation
Why now
Pollution & Treatment Controls · market cap $8.8b. 4% off the 52-week high of $55.00. Revenue growing +10%, comfortably above the S&P median. 10 sell-side analysts rate this a Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $58.10 (implying +10% upside).
Moat
Net margin 12% beats the market median by a meaningful margin — the company is keeping more of every revenue dollar than the average S&P constituent. ROE 13% meets the long-run market sustainable threshold — solid but not differentiated; the durability comes from elsewhere. FCF converts 145% of net income — earnings translate cleanly into cash, a sign that working capital and capex are well-disciplined.
Risk
Trailing P/E 33x 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.