PAYX vs. WM: Paychex vs. Waste Management Stock Comparison

June 13, 2026

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

Performance

Cumulative Growth

PAYX

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Performance at a Glance

Performance metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
1-Year Return	-31.74%	-5.98%

Risk

Drawdown

PAYX

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
1-Year Volatility	26.83%	19.03%
Beta	0.83	0.44
3-Month Avg. Volume	3.57M	2.05M

Company Profile

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

Company profile comparison for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Management (WM)
Profile Item	PAYX	WM
Name	Paychex Inc.	Waste Management, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
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	88.13 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 26, 1983	June 22, 1988
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Valuation

Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 22.21 and Waste Management (WM) at 31.76 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.76

Max: 67.87
Q3: 37.72
WM: 31.76
Median: 21.61
Q1: 14.71
Min: 4.85

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM) at 3.47 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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.47

Max: 6.40
WM: 3.47
Q3: 3.14
Median: 1.30
Q1: 0.66
Min: 0.09

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

Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)

Both Paychex (PAYX) at 8.98 and Waste Management (WM) at 8.81 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.81

Max: 8.98
WM: 8.81
Q3: 5.88
Median: 2.95
Q1: 1.89
Min: -2.68

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (TTM)	22.21	31.76
Price-to-Sales Ratio (TTM)	9.09	3.47
Price-to-Book Ratio (MRQ)	8.98	8.81
Free Cash Flow Yield	--	2.42%

Profitability

Return on Equity (TTM)

Capital efficiency shows on one side only: Waste Management (WM) earns 29.94% 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: --

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

29.94%

Max: 53.04%
WM: 29.94%
Q3: 25.65%
Median: 13.99%
Q1: 2.65%
Min: -26.88%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): PAYX does not report ROE, so it has no value marker; WM 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 Management (WM) at 10.99%, 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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

10.99%

Max: 26.63%
Q3: 11.56%
WM: 10.99%
Median: 6.26%
Q1: 1.18%
Min: -13.34%

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

Operating Profit Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 44.38% turns sales into operating profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Waste Management (WM) at 17.52% operates around its industry’s norm.

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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

17.52%

Max: 37.53%
Q3: 17.67%
WM: 17.52%
Median: 9.37%
Q1: 3.13%
Min: -4.52%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
Return on Equity (TTM)	--	29.94%
Return on Assets (TTM)	--	6.60%
Net Profit Margin (TTM)	26.63%	10.99%
Operating Profit Margin (TTM)	44.38%	17.52%
Gross Profit Margin (TTM)	67.20%	40.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

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

Revenue Growth at a Glance

Revenue growth metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
1-Year Revenue Growth	5.56%	14.24%
3-Year Revenue CAGR	6.51%	8.56%

EPS Growth

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

EPS Growth at a Glance

EPS growth metrics for Paychex (PAYX) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
1-Year EPS Growth	-1.93%	-1.62%
3-Year EPS CAGR	6.05%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Paychex (PAYX) at 1.15 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Waste Management (WM) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WM.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.93

Max: 3.17
Q3: 2.01
Median: 1.51
Q1: 1.13
WM: 0.93
Min: 0.45

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

Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)

Paychex (PAYX) at 1.25 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Waste Management (WM) at 2.28 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.28

Max: 2.61
WM: 2.28
Q3: 1.39
Median: 0.94
Q1: 0.45
Min: 0.01

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.15	0.93
Debt-to-Equity Ratio (MRQ)	1.25	2.28
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.01	2.97

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 4.73% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Waste Management (WM) at 1.61% 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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.61%

Max: 5.49%
Q3: 2.30%
WM: 1.61%
Median: 0.97%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both pay out more than their industries’ typical bands, and PAYX more so: Waste Management (WM) at 49.49% sits above the band, while Paychex (PAYX) at 95.36% exceeds every peer 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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

49.49%

Max: 79.70%
WM: 49.49%
Q3: 36.60%
Median: 16.11%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Paychex (PAYX) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	PAYX	WM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	4.73%	1.61%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	95.36%	49.49%