Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN – Get Free Report) and Aqua Metals (NASDAQ:AQMS – Get Free Report) are both business services companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, earnings, risk, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and valuation.
Insider and Institutional Ownership
86.1% of Waste Connections shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 22.0% of Aqua Metals shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Waste Connections shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 8.3% of Aqua Metals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Risk & Volatility
Waste Connections has a beta of 0.62, suggesting that its share price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Aqua Metals has a beta of -0.03, suggesting that its share price is 103% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Waste Connections | 6.65% | 16.07% | 6.37% |
| Aqua Metals | N/A | -274.21% | -159.86% |
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Waste Connections and Aqua Metals”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Waste Connections | $8.92 billion | 4.85 | $617.57 million | $2.40 | 70.56 |
| Aqua Metals | $30,000.00 | 473.82 | -$24.55 million | ($30.53) | -0.16 |
Waste Connections has higher revenue and earnings than Aqua Metals. Aqua Metals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Waste Connections, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Waste Connections and Aqua Metals, as provided by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Waste Connections | 1 | 3 | 14 | 5 | 3.00 |
| Aqua Metals | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2.00 |
Waste Connections currently has a consensus target price of $206.50, indicating a potential upside of 21.94%. Aqua Metals has a consensus target price of $30.00, indicating a potential upside of 528.93%. Given Aqua Metals’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Aqua Metals is more favorable than Waste Connections.
Summary
Waste Connections beats Aqua Metals on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Waste Connections
Waste Connections, Inc. provides non-hazardous waste collection, transfer, disposal, and resource recovery services in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services to residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, and exploration and production (E&P) customers; landfill disposal services; and recycling services for various recyclable materials, including compost, cardboard, mixed paper, plastic containers, glass bottles, and ferrous and aluminum metals. The company owns and operates transfer stations that receive compact and/or load waste to be transported to landfills or treatment facilities through truck, rail, or barge; and intermodal services for the rail haul movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific Northwest through a network of intermodal facilities. In addition, it provides E&P waste treatment, recovery, and disposal services for waste resulting from oil and natural gas exploration and production activity, such as drilling fluids, drill cuttings, completion fluids, and flowback water; production wastes and produced water during a well's operating life; contaminated soils that require treatment during site reclamation; and substances, which require clean-up after a spill, reserve pit clean-up, or pipeline rupture. Further, the company offers leasing services to its customers. Waste Connections, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is based in Woodbridge, Canada.
About Aqua Metals
Aqua Metals, Inc. engages in reinventing metals recycling activities with its patented AquaRefining technology. The company's technology produces metals and alloys that can be returned into the battery manufacturing supply chain markets, as well as sells metals for use in various advanced manufacturing industries. Its AquaRefining, a low-emissions and recycling technology that replaces polluting furnaces and hazardous chemicals with electricity-powered electroplating to recover valuable metals and materials from spent batteries. Aqua Metals, Inc. was incorporated in 2014 and is headquartered in Reno, Nevada.
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