GFL vs. J: GFL Environmental vs. Jacobs Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J) both fall under the Commercial & Professional Services industry group, but GFL is classified in Commercial Services & Supplies while J is classified in Professional Services.

Jacobs (J) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas GFL Environmental (GFL) listed on March 3, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Profile Item	GFL	J
Name	GFL Environmental Inc.	Jacobs Solutions Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Commercial Services & Supplies	Professional Services
GICS Sub-Industry	Environmental & Facilities Services	Research & Consulting Services
Market Capitalization	16.72 billion USD	17.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 3, 2020	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GFL

GSPC

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
Total Return (1Y)	7.30%	3.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	17.51%	13.63%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	3.62%	6.41%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GFL

GSPC

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	29.80%	34.18%
Beta (5Y)	0.66	0.68
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-42.75%	-34.44%
Avg. Volume (3M)	3.45M	878.62K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GFL and J are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.10	-0.04
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.15	-0.05

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

GFL Environmental (GFL) reports a negative ROE of -2.97%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Jacobs (J) reports 8.00%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

-2.97%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
GFL: -2.97%
Min: -20.15%

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.00%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
J: 8.00%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

GFL Environmental (GFL) reports a negative net margin of -4.28%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Jacobs (J) reports 2.38%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

-4.28%

Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
GFL: -4.28%
Min: -8.60%

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.38%

Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
J: 2.38%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both GFL Environmental (GFL) at 9.44% and Jacobs (J) at 7.39% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

9.44%

Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
GFL: 9.44%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

7.39%

Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
J: 7.39%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
ROE (TTM)	-2.97%	8.00%
ROA (TTM)	1.11%	4.55%
Net Margin (TTM)	-4.28%	2.38%
Operating Margin (TTM)	9.44%	7.39%
Gross Margin (TTM)	19.78%	22.07%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both GFL Environmental (GFL) at 7.77% and Jacobs (J) at 4.60% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Jacobs (J) reports EPS growth of -62.34%, ranked against its industry; GFL Environmental (GFL) has no EPS growth figure this period.

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
Revenue Growth (YoY)	7.77%	4.60%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-0.72%	7.13%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-62.34%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	--	-21.82%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Jacobs (J) at 1.29 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while GFL Environmental (GFL) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GFL.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.93

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
GFL: 0.93
Min: 0.45

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.29

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
J: 1.29
Q1: 1.09
Min: 0.45

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

GFL Environmental (GFL) at 1.04 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Jacobs (J) at 1.25 uses more debt funding than most peers.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.04

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
GFL: 1.04
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max: 2.37
J: 1.25
Q3: 1.25
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
Current Ratio (MRQ)	0.93	1.29
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.04	1.25
Net Debt / EBITDA	6.75	2.72

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both GFL Environmental (GFL) at 0.14% and Jacobs (J) at 0.92% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.14%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
GFL: 0.14%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.92%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
J: 0.92%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

GFL Environmental (GFL) at 19.07% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Jacobs (J) at 45.18% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.07%

Max: 99.58%
Q3: 41.99%
GFL: 19.07%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

45.18%

Max: 99.58%
J: 45.18%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.14%	0.92%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	19.07%	45.18%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Jacobs (J) trades at 49.47 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while GFL Environmental (GFL) has no P/E ratio this period.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89
GFL: --

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

49.47

J: 49.47
Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): GFL does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; J is benchmarked against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both GFL Environmental (GFL) at 2.25 and Jacobs (J) at 1.23 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.25

Max: 7.17
Q3: 3.35
GFL: 2.25
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.23

Max: 7.17
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
J: 1.23
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both GFL Environmental (GFL) at 2.42 and Jacobs (J) at 5.34 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.42

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
GFL: 2.42
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

J

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

5.34

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
J: 5.34
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

GFL Environmental (GFL) vs. Jacobs (J): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for GFL Environmental (GFL) and Jacobs (J)
Metric	GFL	J
P/E Ratio (TTM)	--	49.47
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.25	1.23
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.42	5.34
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.55%	3.71%