PAYX vs. WCN: Paychex vs. Waste Connections Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

This page compares Paychex (PAYX) with Waste Connections (WCN) using performance and risk, profitability, financial strength, growth, dividends, and valuation metrics.

Performance

Cumulative Growth

PAYX

WCN

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): 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 Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
1-Year Return	-31.74%	-17.97%

Risk

Drawdown

PAYX

WCN

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Risk at a Glance

Risk metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
1-Year Volatility	26.83%	21.77%
Beta	0.83	0.49
3-Month Avg. Volume	3.57M	1.57M

Company Profile

Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN) both fall under the Commercial & Professional Services industry group, but PAYX is classified in Professional Services while WCN is classified in Commercial Services & Supplies.

Company profile comparison for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Profile Item	PAYX	WCN
Name	Paychex Inc.	Waste Connections Inc.
Country/Region	United States	Canada
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Professional Services	Commercial Services & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Human Resource & Employment Services	Environmental & Facilities Services
Market Capitalization	36.05 billion USD	39.66 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 26, 1983	May 22, 1998
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 22.21 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Waste Connections (WCN) at 37.98 sits in the richer quartile — WCN needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

22.21

Max: 67.87
Q3: 37.72
PAYX: 22.21
Median: 21.61
Q1: 14.71
Min: 4.85

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

37.98

Max: 67.87
WCN: 37.98
Q3: 37.72
Median: 21.61
Q1: 14.71
Min: 4.85

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Waste Connections (WCN) at 4.13 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Paychex (PAYX) at 9.09 prices even higher, above its industry range.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

9.09

PAYX: 9.09
Max: 6.40
Q3: 3.14
Median: 1.30
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.09

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.13

Max: 6.40
WCN: 4.13
Q3: 3.14
Median: 1.30
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.09

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Waste Connections (WCN) at 4.84 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Paychex (PAYX) at 8.98 carries an above-peer premium to book — PAYX is pricier on assets.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.98

PAYX: 8.98
Max: 8.98
Q3: 5.88
Median: 2.95
Q1: 1.89
Min: -2.68

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.84

Max: 8.98
Q3: 5.88
WCN: 4.84
Median: 2.95
Q1: 1.89
Min: -2.68

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation at a Glance

Valuation metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	22.21	37.98
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	9.09	4.13
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	8.98	4.84
Free Cash Flow Yield	--	2.67%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Waste Connections (WCN) earns 13.12% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Paychex (PAYX) has no ROE this period.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

Max: 53.04%
Q3: 25.65%
Median: 13.99%
Q1: 2.65%
Min: -26.88%
PAYX: --

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

13.12%

Max: 53.04%
Q3: 25.65%
Median: 13.99%
WCN: 13.12%
Q1: 2.65%
Min: -26.88%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): PAYX does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; WCN is benchmarked against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group.

Net Profit Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 26.63% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Waste Connections (WCN) at 10.97%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

26.63%

PAYX: 26.63%
Max: 26.63%
Q3: 11.56%
Median: 6.26%
Q1: 1.18%
Min: -13.34%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

10.97%

Max: 26.63%
Q3: 11.56%
WCN: 10.97%
Median: 6.26%
Q1: 1.18%
Min: -13.34%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 44.38% shows unusually strong operating efficiency — above its industry’s operating margin range — and Waste Connections (WCN) at 18.75% also operates in the top quartile.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

44.38%

PAYX: 44.38%
Max: 37.53%
Q3: 17.67%
Median: 9.37%
Q1: 3.13%
Min: -4.52%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

18.75%

Max: 37.53%
WCN: 18.75%
Q3: 17.67%
Median: 9.37%
Q1: 3.13%
Min: -4.52%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability at a Glance

Profitability metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
Return on Equity (TTM)	--	13.12%
Return on Assets (TTM)	--	5.47%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	26.63%	10.97%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	44.38%	18.75%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	67.20%	42.50%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
1-Year Revenue Growth	5.56%	6.14%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	6.51%	9.49%

EPS Growth

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
1-Year EPS Growth	-1.93%	74.48%
3-Year EPS CAGR	6.05%	8.78%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Paychex (PAYX) at 1.15 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Waste Connections (WCN) at 0.69 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WCN.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.15

Max: 3.17
Q3: 2.01
Median: 1.51
PAYX: 1.15
Q1: 1.13
Min: 0.45

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.69

Max: 3.17
Q3: 2.01
Median: 1.51
Q1: 1.13
WCN: 0.69
Min: 0.45

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 1.25 and Waste Connections (WCN) at 1.17 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max: 2.61
Q3: 1.39
PAYX: 1.25
Median: 0.94
Q1: 0.45
Min: 0.01

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.17

Max: 2.61
Q3: 1.39
WCN: 1.17
Median: 0.94
Q1: 0.45
Min: 0.01

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength at a Glance

Financial strength metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.15	0.69
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	1.25	1.17
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.01	3.04

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 4.73% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Waste Connections (WCN) at 0.90% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PAYX the richer one.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.73%

Max: 5.49%
PAYX: 4.73%
Q3: 2.30%
Median: 0.97%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.90%

Max: 5.49%
Q3: 2.30%
Median: 0.97%
WCN: 0.90%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Waste Connections (WCN) at 32.44% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Paychex (PAYX) at 95.36% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

95.36%

PAYX: 95.36%
Max: 79.70%
Q3: 36.60%
Median: 16.11%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

32.44%

Max: 79.70%
Q3: 36.60%
WCN: 32.44%
Median: 16.11%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividends at a Glance

Dividend metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	PAYX	WCN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.73%	0.90%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	95.36%	32.44%