Core Insights - Zurn Water (ZWS) reported quarterly earnings of $0.31 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.29 per share, and showing an increase from $0.29 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of 6.90% [1] - The company achieved revenues of $388.8 million for the quarter ended March 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.67% and increasing from $373.8 million year-over-year [2] - Zurn Water has consistently outperformed consensus EPS estimates over the last four quarters [2] Earnings Outlook - The future performance of Zurn Water's stock will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and the sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently released numbers [3][4] - The current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $0.36 on revenues of $423.32 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $1.35 on revenues of $1.62 billion [7] Industry Context - The Waste Removal Services industry, to which Zurn Water belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 21% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating potential challenges for stock performance [8] - Empirical research suggests a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which can impact investor sentiment and stock performance [5][6]

For those looking to find strong Business Services stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Has Casella (CWST) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Business Services peers, we might be able to answer that question.Casella is a member of the Business Services sector. This group includes 272 individual stocks and currently holds a Zacks Sector Rank of #5. The Zacks Sector Rank gau ...

Company Overview - Waste Connections (WCN) shares increased by 5.3% to close at $192.90, contrasting with a 0.5% loss over the past four weeks, driven by price-led organic solid waste growth, improving commodities, and ongoing acquisition activities [1] - The company is expected to report quarterly earnings of $1.07 per share, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 2.9%, with revenues projected at $2.22 billion, up 7.3% from the previous year [2] Earnings Estimates and Trends - The consensus EPS estimate for Waste Connections has been revised marginally lower over the last 30 days, indicating a negative trend in earnings estimate revisions, which typically does not lead to price appreciation [3] - The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting a neutral outlook [3] Industry Comparison - Waste Connections is part of the Zacks Waste Removal Services industry, where Montrose Environmental (MEG) experienced an 18.5% increase in its stock price, closing at $12.73, despite a -38.9% return over the past month [3] - Montrose Environmental's consensus EPS estimate has changed significantly to -$0.12, representing a -175% change from the previous year, and it currently holds a Zacks Rank of 5 (Strong Sell) [4]

Company Performance - Smiths Group PLC (SMGZY) has gained approximately 18.7% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the average gain of 1% in the Business Services sector [4] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Smiths Group's full-year earnings has increased by 4% over the past 90 days, indicating improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook [3] Industry Context - Smiths Group PLC is part of the Technology Services industry, which has seen an average loss of 9.8% year-to-date, highlighting SMGZY's superior performance within this group [5] - The Business Services group includes 274 companies, with Smiths Group currently ranked 7 in the Zacks Sector Rank [2] Comparison with Peers - Sims Metal Management Ltd. (SMSMY) is another outperforming stock in the Business Services sector, with a year-to-date return of 30.7% [4] - The consensus estimate for Sims Metal Management's current year EPS has increased by 20% over the past three months, also reflecting a positive outlook [5]

Core Insights - Montrose Environmental (MEG) is currently rated as a 2 (Buy) by Zacks Rank, while Casella (CWST) holds a 3 (Hold) rating, indicating a more favorable outlook for MEG [3] - MEG has shown positive revisions in earnings estimates, suggesting an improving earnings outlook compared to CWST [3] Valuation Metrics - MEG has a forward P/E ratio of 13.06, significantly lower than CWST's forward P/E of 95.09, indicating that MEG may be undervalued [5] - The PEG ratio for MEG is 0.36, while CWST's PEG ratio is 3.69, further suggesting that MEG is more attractive in terms of growth relative to its price [5] - MEG's P/B ratio stands at 1.12, compared to CWST's P/B of 4.51, reinforcing the notion that MEG is a better value investment [6] - Overall, MEG has a Value grade of A, while CWST has a Value grade of C, highlighting MEG's superior valuation metrics [6]

Group 1 - Accolade (ACCD) has gained approximately 103.2% year-to-date, significantly outperforming the average return of 6.6% for the Business Services sector [4] - The Zacks Rank for Accolade is currently 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on earnings estimates and revisions [3] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Accolade's full-year earnings has increased by 1.4% over the past three months, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [3] Group 2 - Accolade is part of the Technology Services industry, which consists of 151 stocks and is currently ranked 68 in the Zacks Industry Rank, with an average gain of 4.8% year-to-date [5] - Casella (CWST), another stock in the Business Services sector, has returned 7.5% year-to-date and also holds a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [4][5] - The Waste Removal Services industry, to which Casella belongs, is ranked 148 and has seen a year-to-date increase of 10.8% [6]