RTO vs. WM: Rentokil Initial vs. Waste Management Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Management (WM) 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 Management (WM) 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 Management (WM) 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 Management (WM)
Profile Item	RTO	WM
Name	Rentokil Initial plc American Depositary Shares (each representing five Ordinary Shares)	Waste Management Inc.
Country/Region	United Kingdom	United States
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	93.95 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	November 18, 1996	June 22, 1988
Security Type	ADR	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

RTO

GSPC

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Management (WM), 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 Management (WM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Management (WM). 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 Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
Total Return (1Y)	-10.02%	19.43%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-1.88%	13.45%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-8.85%	9.97%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

RTO

GSPC

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Management (WM), 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 Management (WM). 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 Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	33.85%	21.31%
Beta (5Y)	0.98	0.37
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-50.93%	-18.14%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.74M	2.24M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

RTO and WM 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 Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.42	0.71
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.57	1.07

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 31.68% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 5.97% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for WM.

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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.68%

Max: 47.06%
WM: 31.68%
Q3: 25.43%
Median: 14.11%
Q1: 3.92%
Min: -20.15%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 11.78% 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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.78%

Max: 23.28%
WM: 11.78%
Q3: 11.35%
Median: 5.65%
Q1: 0.87%
Min: -8.60%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 19.08% 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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.08%

Max: 38.50%
WM: 19.08%
Q3: 18.84%
Median: 10.40%
Q1: 5.59%
Min: -12.00%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
ROE (TTM)	5.97%	31.68%
ROA (TTM)	4.00%	6.69%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.70%	11.78%
Operating Margin (TTM)	12.79%	19.08%
Gross Margin (TTM)	14.01%	40.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Waste Management (WM) at 14.24% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 4.40% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for WM.

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

EPS Growth

Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 21.70% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Waste Management (WM) at -1.62% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for RTO.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	4.40%	14.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	15.40%	8.56%
EPS Growth (YoY)	21.70%	-1.62%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	10.00%	7.52%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 1.06 and Waste Management (WM) at 0.82 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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.82

Max: 3.63
Q3: 2.14
Median: 1.55
Q1: 1.09
WM: 0.82
Min: 0.45

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 1.11 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Waste Management (WM) at 2.37 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.37

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

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.06	0.82
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.11	2.37
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.93	2.94

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 0.53% and Waste Management (WM) at 1.52% 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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.52%

Max: 4.33%
Q3: 1.80%
WM: 1.52%
Median: 0.60%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 97.56% and Waste Management (WM) at 48.03% pay out an above-typical share of earnings for their industries, leaving thinner cover if profits dip.

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%

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

48.03%

Max: 99.58%
WM: 48.03%
Q3: 41.99%
Median: 17.27%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: -17.94%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Rentokil Initial (RTO) and Waste Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.53%	1.52%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	97.56%	48.03%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Waste Management (WM) at 31.01 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 37.48 sits in the richer quartile — RTO needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

31.01

Max: 49.47
Q3: 33.76
WM: 31.01
Median: 24.16
Q1: 16.01
Min: 1.89

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM) at 3.60 sits in the pricier quartile — WM 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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.60

Max: 7.17
WM: 3.60
Q3: 3.35
Median: 1.33
Q1: 0.69
Min: 0.11

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Rentokil Initial (RTO) at 2.16 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Waste Management (WM) at 9.52 carries an above-peer premium to book — WM is pricier on assets.

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

WM

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

9.52

Max: 11.25
WM: 9.52
Q3: 6.08
Median: 2.92
Q1: 1.55
Min: -2.78

Rentokil Initial (RTO) vs. Waste Management (WM): 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 Management (WM)
Metric	RTO	WM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	37.48	31.01
P/S Ratio (TTM)	1.66	3.60
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	2.16	9.52
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	8.85%	2.64%