AME vs. WCN: A Head-to-Head Stock Comparison
Updated onHere’s a clear look at AME and WCN, comparing key factors like historical performance, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividend, and valuation.
Company Overview
AME’s market capitalization stands at 42.53 billion USD, while WCN’s is 46.70 billion USD, indicating their market valuations are broadly comparable.
AME’s beta of 1.11 points to significantly higher volatility compared to WCN (beta: 0.62), suggesting AME has greater potential for both gains and losses relative to market movements.
| Symbol | AME | WCN |
|---|---|---|
| Company Name | AMETEK, Inc. | Waste Connections, Inc. |
| Country | US | CA |
| Sector | Industrials | Industrials |
| Industry | Industrial - Machinery | Waste Management |
| CEO | David A. Zapico | Ronald J. Mittelstaedt |
| Price | 184.19 USD | 180.73 USD |
| Market Cap | 42.53 billion USD | 46.70 billion USD |
| Beta | 1.11 | 0.62 |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| IPO Date | July 19, 1984 | May 22, 1998 |
| ADR | No | No |
Historical Performance
This chart compares the performance of AME and WCN by tracking the growth of an initial $10,000 investment in each. Use the tabs to select the desired time period.
Data is adjusted for dividends and splits.
Profitability
Return on Equity
AME
14.75%
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 36.51%
- Q3
- 18.65%
- Median
- 12.08%
- Q1
- 4.75%
- Min
- -15.57%
AME’s Return on Equity of 14.75% is on par with the norm for the Industrial - Machinery industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.
WCN
7.83%
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 40.07%
- Q3
- 22.07%
- Median
- 11.65%
- Q1
- -3.10%
- Min
- -27.58%
WCN’s Return on Equity of 7.83% is on par with the norm for the Waste Management industry, indicating its profitability relative to shareholder equity is typical for the sector.
Return on Invested Capital
AME
11.22%
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 22.35%
- Q3
- 12.64%
- Median
- 9.33%
- Q1
- 5.32%
- Min
- -5.42%
AME’s Return on Invested Capital of 11.22% is in line with the norm for the Industrial - Machinery industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.
WCN
4.78%
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 9.07%
- Q3
- 7.95%
- Median
- 3.52%
- Q1
- 1.30%
- Min
- -4.75%
WCN’s Return on Invested Capital of 4.78% is in line with the norm for the Waste Management industry, reflecting a standard level of efficiency in generating profits from its capital base.
Net Profit Margin
AME
20.43%
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 28.85%
- Q3
- 15.25%
- Median
- 10.02%
- Q1
- 5.33%
- Min
- -8.75%
A Net Profit Margin of 20.43% places AME in the upper quartile for the Industrial - Machinery industry, signifying strong profitability and more effective cost management than most of its peers.
WCN
6.93%
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 12.88%
- Q3
- 11.97%
- Median
- 6.76%
- Q1
- -0.76%
- Min
- -9.89%
WCN’s Net Profit Margin of 6.93% is aligned with the median group of its peers in the Waste Management industry. This indicates its ability to convert revenue into profit is typical for the sector.
Operating Profit Margin
AME
26.20%
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 28.19%
- Q3
- 19.04%
- Median
- 14.62%
- Q1
- 8.13%
- Min
- -5.76%
An Operating Profit Margin of 26.20% places AME in the upper quartile for the Industrial - Machinery industry. This signals a strong ability to translate revenue into operating profit, outperforming most of its competitors in core business efficiency.
WCN
12.19%
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 20.22%
- Q3
- 13.63%
- Median
- 7.87%
- Q1
- 1.29%
- Min
- -5.01%
WCN’s Operating Profit Margin of 12.19% is around the midpoint for the Waste Management industry, indicating that its efficiency in managing core business operations is typical for the sector.
Profitability at a Glance
| Symbol | AME | WCN |
|---|---|---|
| Return on Equity (TTM) | 14.75% | 7.83% |
| Return on Assets (TTM) | 9.52% | 3.11% |
| Return on Invested Capital (TTM) | 11.22% | 4.78% |
| Net Profit Margin (TTM) | 20.43% | 6.93% |
| Operating Profit Margin (TTM) | 26.20% | 12.19% |
| Gross Profit Margin (TTM) | 36.18% | 38.88% |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio
AME
1.41
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 4.18
- Q3
- 2.75
- Median
- 2.07
- Q1
- 1.46
- Min
- 0.46
AME’s Current Ratio of 1.41 falls into the lower quartile for the Industrial - Machinery industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.
WCN
0.70
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 2.37
- Q3
- 1.98
- Median
- 1.06
- Q1
- 0.79
- Min
- 0.66
WCN’s Current Ratio of 0.70 falls into the lower quartile for the Waste Management industry. This indicates a tighter liquidity situation and a more constrained capacity to handle short-term debt than many of its competitors.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio
AME
0.19
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 1.46
- Q3
- 0.73
- Median
- 0.48
- Q1
- 0.17
- Min
- 0.00
AME’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 0.19 is typical for the Industrial - Machinery industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.
WCN
1.09
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 2.64
- Q3
- 1.57
- Median
- 1.12
- Q1
- 0.87
- Min
- 0.07
WCN’s Debt-to-Equity Ratio of 1.09 is typical for the Waste Management industry, indicating its use of leverage is in line with the sector norm. This suggests a balanced approach to its capital structure.
Interest Coverage Ratio
AME
23.38
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 28.91
- Q3
- 14.99
- Median
- 9.11
- Q1
- 3.95
- Min
- -11.30
AME’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 23.38 is in the upper quartile for the Industrial - Machinery industry, signifying a strong and healthy capacity to meet its interest payments from operating profits.
WCN
3.36
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 6.06
- Q3
- 5.49
- Median
- 2.34
- Q1
- 0.26
- Min
- -2.04
WCN’s Interest Coverage Ratio of 3.36 is positioned comfortably within the norm for the Waste Management industry, indicating a standard and healthy capacity to cover its interest payments.
Financial Strength at a Glance
| Symbol | AME | WCN |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (TTM) | 1.41 | 0.70 |
| Quick Ratio (TTM) | 0.86 | 0.70 |
| Debt-to-Equity Ratio (TTM) | 0.19 | 1.09 |
| Debt-to-Asset Ratio (TTM) | 0.13 | 0.43 |
| Net Debt-to-EBITDA Ratio (TTM) | 0.73 | 3.73 |
| Interest Coverage Ratio (TTM) | 23.38 | 3.36 |
Growth
The following charts compare key year-over-year (YoY) growth metrics for AME and WCN. These metrics are based on the companies’ annual financial reports.
Revenue Growth
Earnings Per Share (EPS) Growth
Free Cash Flow Growth
Dividend
Dividend Yield
AME
0.64%
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 4.40%
- Q3
- 1.47%
- Median
- 0.74%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
AME’s Dividend Yield of 0.64% is consistent with its peers in the Industrial - Machinery industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.
WCN
0.68%
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 1.38%
- Q3
- 0.73%
- Median
- 0.06%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
WCN’s Dividend Yield of 0.68% is consistent with its peers in the Waste Management industry, providing a dividend return that is standard for its sector.
Dividend Payout Ratio
AME
18.74%
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 78.48%
- Q3
- 36.22%
- Median
- 20.24%
- Q1
- 0.00%
- Min
- 0.00%
AME’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 18.74% is within the typical range for the Industrial - Machinery industry, suggesting a balanced approach between shareholder payouts and company reinvestment.
WCN
49.31%
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 49.31%
- Q3
- 43.13%
- Median
- 17.31%
- Q1
- 0.26%
- Min
- 0.00%
WCN’s Dividend Payout Ratio of 49.31% is in the upper quartile for the Waste Management industry. This indicates a strong commitment to shareholder returns but also suggests that a smaller portion of earnings is retained for reinvestment compared to many peers.
Dividend at a Glance
| Symbol | AME | WCN |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 0.64% | 0.68% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | 18.74% | 49.31% |
Valuation
Price-to-Earnings Ratio
AME
29.98
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 47.62
- Q3
- 34.41
- Median
- 27.36
- Q1
- 21.62
- Min
- 10.96
AME’s P/E Ratio of 29.98 is within the middle range for the Industrial - Machinery industry. This suggests its valuation is in line with the sector average, representing neither a significant premium nor a discount compared to its peers.
WCN
74.18
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 76.31
- Q3
- 66.40
- Median
- 35.51
- Q1
- 32.40
- Min
- 9.07
A P/E Ratio of 74.18 places WCN in the upper quartile for the Waste Management industry. This high valuation relative to peers suggests the market holds elevated expectations for the company’s future growth.
Forward P/E to Growth Ratio
AME
4.01
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 6.15
- Q3
- 3.53
- Median
- 2.82
- Q1
- 1.71
- Min
- 0.09
The Forward PEG Ratio is often not a primary valuation metric in the Industrial - Machinery industry.
WCN
6.34
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 6.52
- Q3
- 4.74
- Median
- 2.97
- Q1
- 0.85
- Min
- 0.06
A Forward PEG Ratio of 6.34 places WCN in the upper quartile for the Waste Management industry. This suggests the stock is potentially expensive compared to its peers relative to its growth forecast, which may warrant caution.
Price-to-Sales Ratio
AME
6.13
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 8.37
- Q3
- 4.59
- Median
- 3.34
- Q1
- 1.83
- Min
- 0.32
AME’s P/S Ratio of 6.13 is in the upper echelon for the Industrial - Machinery industry. This means the company is valued richly on its revenue stream compared to its peers, suggesting the stock is priced for a high level of future performance.
WCN
5.15
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 5.29
- Q3
- 4.49
- Median
- 3.59
- Q1
- 1.82
- Min
- 0.31
WCN’s P/S Ratio of 5.15 is in the upper echelon for the Waste Management industry. This means the company is valued richly on its revenue stream compared to its peers, suggesting the stock is priced for a high level of future performance.
Price-to-Book Ratio
AME
4.26
Industrial - Machinery Industry
- Max
- 7.49
- Q3
- 5.01
- Median
- 3.41
- Q1
- 2.45
- Min
- 0.01
AME’s P/B Ratio of 4.26 is within the conventional range for the Industrial - Machinery industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.
WCN
5.82
Waste Management Industry
- Max
- 10.62
- Q3
- 6.13
- Median
- 4.78
- Q1
- 2.85
- Min
- 1.68
WCN’s P/B Ratio of 5.82 is within the conventional range for the Waste Management industry. This shows a balanced market view, where the stock’s price is neither at a significant premium nor a discount to the book value of its peers.
Valuation at a Glance
| Symbol | AME | WCN |
|---|---|---|
| Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E, TTM) | 29.98 | 74.18 |
| Forward PEG Ratio (TTM) | 4.01 | 6.34 |
| Price-to-Sales Ratio (P/S, TTM) | 6.13 | 5.15 |
| Price-to-Book Ratio (P/B, TTM) | 4.26 | 5.82 |
| Price-to-Free Cash Flow Ratio (P/FCF, TTM) | 24.82 | 39.54 |
| EV-to-EBITDA (TTM) | 21.00 | 24.02 |
| EV-to-Sales (TTM) | 6.35 | 6.09 |