WillScot Stock vs Competition: Who Wins?
WillScot (WSC) stock has significantly underperformed peers over the past year, reflecting a 54% decline in market return. However, how does it truly measure up against its industrial peers like CLH and AL in the evolving modular space? A closer look reveals WSC’s strong profitability, demonstrated by healthy operating and free cash flow margins of 23.69% and 19.49% respectively, coupled with a moderate valuation (P/E of 12.96) compared to its peers. Yet, negative last twelve months (LTM) revenue growth of -3.64% presents a key challenge for future upside, suggesting that operational efficiency may not fully offset top-line headwinds in a sector facing fluctuating demand.
- WSC’s 23.7% operating margin, while robust for rentals, trails ADT’s 25.5% from stable, recurring security service subscriptions.
- WSC’s -3.6% revenue drop highlights slower modular space demand vs. peers thriving in environmental services, aircraft leasing, and safety equipment.
- WSC’s 54.3% stock decline and 13.0 PE reflect investor concern over slowing modular space demand vs. peers in more stable sectors.
Here’s how WillScot stacks up across size, valuation, and profitability versus key peers.
| WSC | CLH | AL | ADT | CWST | MSA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap ($ Bil) | 2.9 | 11.2 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 6.0 |
| Revenue ($ Bil) | 2.3 | 6.0 | 2.9 | 5.1 | 1.8 | 1.9 |
| PE Ratio | 13.0 | 28.8 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 387.1 | 21.4 |
| LTM Revenue Growth | -3.6% | 2.9% | 6.2% | 6.3% | 20.5% | 3.3% |
| LTM Operating Margin | 23.7% | 10.9% | 20.7% | 25.5% | 5.2% | 21.0% |
| LTM FCF Margin | 19.5% | 7.4% | -68.3% | 27.1% | 4.4% | 15.2% |
| 12M Market Return | -54.3% | -15.5% | 35.2% | 6.2% | -14.7% | -9.8% |
For more details on WillScot, read Buy or Sell WSC Stock. Below we compare WSC’s growth, margin, and valuation with peers across years
Revenue Growth Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSC | -3.6% | 1.3% | 10.4% | 28.1% |
| CLH | 2.9% | 8.9% | 4.7% | 35.8% |
| AL | 6.2% | 1.8% | 15.9% | 11.0% |
| ADT | 6.3% | 5.3% | 6.2% | 4.3% |
| CWST | 20.5% | 23.1% | 16.5% | 22.0% |
| MSA | 3.3% | 1.1% | 17.0% | 9.1% |
Operating Margin Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSC | 23.7% | 24.4% | 28.8% | 23.9% |
| CLH | 10.9% | 11.4% | 11.3% | 12.3% |
| AL | 20.7% | 21.5% | 27.6% | 29.6% |
| ADT | 25.5% | 25.2% | 26.2% | 16.8% |
| CWST | 5.2% | 6.8% | 8.1% | 9.3% |
| MSA | 21.0% | 22.1% | 21.7% | 18.2% |
PE Ratio Comparison
| LTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSC | 13.0 | 223.7 | 18.5 | 28.8 |
| CLH | 28.8 | 30.8 | 25.0 | 15.0 |
| AL | 7.0 | 12.5 | 7.6 | -44.2 |
| ADT | 10.0 | 12.4 | 13.4 | 61.8 |
| CWST | 387.1 | 465.7 | 185.6 | 77.1 |
| MSA | 21.4 | 22.9 | 113.3 | 31.5 |
Still not sure about WSC stock? Consider portfolio approach.
The Right Way To Invest Is Through Portfolios
Individual stocks can soar or tank but one thing matters: staying invested. The right portfolio can help you stay invested, capture upside and mitigate the downside associated with any individual stock.
The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio, with a collection of 30 stocks, has a track record of comfortably outperforming its benchmark that includes all 3 – the S&P 500, S&P mid-cap, and Russell 2000 indices. Why is that? As a group, HQ Portfolio stocks provided better returns with less risk versus the benchmark index; less of a roller-coaster ride, as evident in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.