RTO vs. WCN: Rentokil Initial vs. Waste Connections Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Rentokil Initial (RTO) 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

Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN) are both classified in the Environmental & Facilities Services sub-industry within the broader Commercial Services & Supplies industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Waste Connections (WCN) trades as ordinary local shares, while Rentokil Initial (RTO) trades as an ADR — compare with FX exposure, depositary-program fees, and dividend-withholding-tax differences in mind.

Company profile comparison for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Profile Item	RTO	WCN
Name	Rentokil Initial plc American Depositary Shares (each representing five Ordinary Shares)	Waste Connections, Inc.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	Canada
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Commercial & Professional Services	Commercial & Professional Services
GICS Industry	Commercial Services & Supplies	Commercial Services & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Environmental & Facilities Services	Environmental & Facilities Services
Market Capitalization	11.87 billion USD	47.31 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 18, 1996	May 22, 1998
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RTO

WCN

GSPC

Rentokil Initial (RTO) 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 Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
Total Return (1Y)	-10.02%	15.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-1.88%	14.07%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-8.85%	7.98%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RTO

WCN

GSPC

Rentokil Initial (RTO) 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 Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	33.85%	25.62%
Beta (5Y)	0.98	0.41
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-50.93%	-24.90%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.74M	1.56M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RTO 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 Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.42	0.43
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.57	0.69

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 5.97% and Waste Connections (WCN) at 14.19% land near their industries’ usual ROE ranges, so capital efficiency looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

5.97%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
RTO: 5.97%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

14.19%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 25.43%
WCN: 14.19%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Waste Connections (WCN) at 11.40% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 6.70%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

6.70%

Max: 23.28%
Q3: 11.35%
RTO: 6.70%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.40%

Max: 23.28%
WCN: 11.40%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Waste Connections (WCN) at 20.77% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 12.79%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

12.79%

Max: 38.50%
Q3: 18.84%
RTO: 12.79%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

20.77%

Max: 38.50%
WCN: 20.77%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
ROE (TTM)	5.97%	14.19%
ROA (TTM)	4.00%	5.68%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.70%	11.40%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.79%	20.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)	14.01%	42.62%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 4.40% and Waste Connections (WCN) at 6.14% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 21.70% and Waste Connections (WCN) at 74.48% sit in the top peer quartile for EPS growth, so each is compounding per-share earnings faster than typical industry peers.

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Connections (WCN): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.40%	6.14%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.40%	9.49%
EPS Growth (YoY)	21.70%	74.48%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.00%	8.78%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 1.06 and Waste Connections (WCN) at 0.67 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.06

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
RTO: 1.06
Min: 0.45

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.67

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
WCN: 0.67
Min: 0.45

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 1.11 and Waste Connections (WCN) at 1.24 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.11

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
RTO: 1.11
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.24

Max: 2.37
Q3: 1.25
WCN: 1.24
Median: 0.88
Q1: 0.35
Min: 0.00

Rentokil Initial (RTO) 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 Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.06	0.67
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.11	1.24
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.93	3.01

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 0.53% and Waste Connections (WCN) at 0.73% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.53%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
Median: 0.60%
RTO: 0.53%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.73%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
WCN: 0.73%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Rentokil Initial (RTO) 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 31.39% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 97.56% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

97.56%

Max: 99.58%
RTO: 97.56%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.39%

Max: 99.58%
Q3: 41.99%
WCN: 31.39%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.53%	0.73%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	97.56%	31.39%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 37.48 and Waste Connections (WCN) at 42.39 sit in the richer earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, so investors are paying more for TTM earnings than they pay for typical peers.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

37.48

Max: 49.47
RTO: 37.48
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

42.39

Max: 49.47
WCN: 42.39
Q3: 33.76
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 1.66 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Waste Connections (WCN) at 4.76 sits in the pricier quartile — WCN costs more per dollar of sales.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.66

Max: 7.17
Q3: 3.35
RTO: 1.66
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.76

Max: 7.17
WCN: 4.76
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 2.16 and Waste Connections (WCN) at 6.00 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

RTO

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.16

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
RTO: 2.16
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

WCN

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

6.00

Max: 11.25
Q3: 6.08
WCN: 6.00
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Connections (WCN)
Metric	RTO	WCN
P/E Ratio (TTM)	37.48	42.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.66	4.76
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.16	6.00
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.85%	2.28%