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

How do Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN) 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

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 ItemPAYXWCN
NamePaychex Inc.Waste Connections Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesCanada
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCommercial & Professional ServicesCommercial & Professional Services
GICS IndustryProfessional ServicesCommercial Services & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryHuman Resource & Employment ServicesEnvironmental & Facilities Services
Market Capitalization39.82 billion USD42.79 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateAugust 26, 1983May 22, 1998
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

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

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
Total Return (1Y)-18.91%-6.90%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)0.05%5.91%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)3.16%7.01%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PAYX
WCN
GSPC
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN), 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 Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)26.79%22.70%
Beta (5Y)0.820.48
Max Drawdown (5Y)-44.95%-24.90%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.34M1.70M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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PAYX and WCN 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 Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)-0.86-0.48
Sortino Ratio (1Y)-1.19-0.70

Profitability

ROE (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
2.99%
Min
-28.46%
PAYX
--

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

13.12%

Max
53.04%
Q3
25.65%
Median
13.99%
WCN
13.12%
Q1
2.99%
Min
-28.46%
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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 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
1.30%
Min
-13.15%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

10.97%

Max
26.63%
Q3
11.56%
WCN
10.97%
Median
6.26%
Q1
1.30%
Min
-13.15%
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 38.33% and Waste Connections (WCN) at 18.75% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

38.33%

PAYX
38.33%
Max
38.33%
Q3
17.67%
Median
9.37%
Q1
3.13%
Min
-4.52%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

18.75%

Max
38.33%
WCN
18.75%
Q3
17.67%
Median
9.37%
Q1
3.13%
Min
-4.52%
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
ROE (TTM)--13.12%
ROA (TTM)--5.47%
Net Margin (TTM)26.63%10.97%
Operating Margin (TTM)38.33%18.75%
Gross Margin (TTM)67.20%42.50%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Paychex (PAYX) at 16.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Waste Connections (WCN) at 6.14% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for PAYX.

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

EPS Growth

Waste Connections (WCN) at 74.48% clears its industry range for EPS growth, a much stronger earnings trajectory than Paychex (PAYX) at 6.77%, which is closer to a typical peer reading.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
Revenue Growth (YoY)16.88%6.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)9.15%9.49%
EPS Growth (YoY)6.77%74.48%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)4.38%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
1.48
PAYX
1.15
Q1
1.13
Min
0.45

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.69

Max
3.17
Q3
2.01
Median
1.48
Q1
1.13
WCN
0.69
Min
0.45
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 1.24 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

1.24

Max
2.61
Q3
1.39
PAYX
1.24
Median
0.94
Q1
0.40
Min
0.01

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.17

Max
2.61
Q3
1.39
WCN
1.17
Median
0.94
Q1
0.40
Min
0.01
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.150.69
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.241.17
Net Debt / EBITDA2.173.04

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Waste Connections (WCN) reports a yield of 0.78%, ranking against industry peers normally.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.00%

Max
3.77%
Q3
1.82%
Median
0.44%
PAYX
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.78%

Max
3.77%
Q3
1.82%
WCN
0.78%
Median
0.44%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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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% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Paychex (PAYX) at 90.59% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

90.59%

PAYX
90.59%
Max
90.59%
Q3
36.56%
Median
16.11%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

32.44%

Max
90.59%
Q3
36.56%
WCN
32.44%
Median
16.11%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.78%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)90.59%32.44%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 23.57 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Waste Connections (WCN) at 41.69 sits in the richer quartile — WCN needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

23.57

Max
67.06
Q3
38.84
PAYX
23.57
Median
23.07
Q1
16.03
Min
4.96

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

41.69

Max
67.06
WCN
41.69
Q3
38.84
Median
23.07
Q1
16.03
Min
4.96
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Waste Connections (WCN) at 4.45 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Paychex (PAYX) at 10.04 prices even higher, above its industry range.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

10.04

PAYX
10.04
Max
7.33
Q3
3.42
Median
1.37
Q1
0.74
Min
0.13

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.45

Max
7.33
WCN
4.45
Q3
3.42
Median
1.37
Q1
0.74
Min
0.13
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Waste Connections (WCN) at 5.22 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Paychex (PAYX) at 10.66 carries an above-peer premium to book — PAYX is pricier on assets.

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

10.66

Max
10.74
PAYX
10.66
Q3
5.92
Median
3.25
Q1
1.95
Min
-2.86

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

5.22

Max
10.74
Q3
5.92
WCN
5.22
Median
3.25
Q1
1.95
Min
-2.86
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Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Connections (WCN)
MetricPAYXWCN
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.5741.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)10.044.45
P/B Ratio (MRQ)10.665.22
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)--2.47%