Growth remains strong (avg 85/100), but valuation is pulling the composite down (avg 50/100).
Broad-market heuristics · Not a buy/sell signal
Valuation and growth
Valuation
Growth
Above 30x, priced for sustained outperformance
25–30x, paying up for cash generation
5–10% CAGR, steady but not exceptional
Above 10% CAGR, strong compounder
Business Quality & Capital Allocation
Shrinking >2%, active buybacks
Expanded 1–3pp, steady progress
Net debt/FCF of 6.6x, high leverage
10–15%, respectable returns
Waste Management (WM) quality: score, margins and returns
Waste Management (WM) scores 68/100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score (a solid business), a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, on 18.4% operating margins and 11.7% ROIC. Every metric is computed from SEC filings; this is analysis, not investment advice.
Frequently asked
Is Waste Management (WM) a high-quality business?+
Waste Management scores 68 out of 100 on Intrinsiqq's quality score, a weighted blend of 8 metrics each scored 0 to 100, which rates it a solid business on these measures. Recent figures include a 18.4% operating margin and a 11.7% return on invested capital. Quality and price are separate questions: even a great business can be a poor investment if you overpay, so read this score alongside the valuation. The metric-by-metric breakdown is on this scorecard.
What does Waste Management's quality score measure?+
Intrinsiqq's quality score weighs revenue and free-cash-flow growth, operating margins, return on invested capital, change in share count, and balance-sheet strength, each computed from WM's SEC filings rather than opinion or sentiment. A higher score means a more durable, capital-efficient business; it is not a buy or sell signal. Open each metric on this page to see exactly where Waste Management scores well and where it falls behind.
What is Waste Management's return on invested capital (ROIC)?+
Waste Management earns about 11.7% on its invested capital, which is solid. ROIC measures how much profit a company generates per dollar put to work; sustained ROIC above its cost of capital is one of the clearest signs of a real competitive moat. Compare it to WM's margins and growth on this scorecard to judge durability.
How profitable is Waste Management?+
Waste Management runs an operating margin of about 18.4% and a net margin of about 11.8%. Revenue has grown at roughly 10.6% a year recently. High, stable margins usually point to pricing power and operating discipline. Margins are most telling next to growth and returns on capital, all of which feed this quality score. This is analysis from SEC filings, not investment advice.
SourceQuality score computed from the 10-Q filed 23 Oct 2026, covering the period ending 30 Sept 2026, as reported to the SEC. Data last refreshed 29 Oct 2026. How this is calculated.
Fiscal year ends Dec. Sector medians are approximate S&P 500 benchmarks and update periodically. Checks use broad-market heuristics, so sector norms may differ, and the valuation checks are more cyclical than the quality checks.
Peers
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Held by ETFs
WM is in 284 US ETFs. The largest of them, with WM's weight in each:
Spot a number that looks wrong? Check it in WM's SEC filings or
Download this analysis as a PDF (Pro)
Data sourced from SEC EDGAR filings and third-party price providers. Scores, valuations, and metrics are algorithmic estimates. This is not investment advice. See our Terms and Methodology.
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