Two Blue Chips, Two Very Different Stories
JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM | JPM Price Prediction) spent the past decade transforming from a diversified megabank into the undisputed heavyweight of American finance. Jamie Dimon steered the franchise through the 2020 pandemic, capitalized on the post-pandemic rate cycle to expand net interest income, and acquired First Republic in 2023 during the regional banking crisis. More recently, JPMorgan announced a forward purchase commitment for the Apple Card portfolio in December 2025 and authorized a new $50 billion share repurchase program effective July 1, 2025. FY2025 delivered revenue of $182.4 billion and EPS of $20.02, and Q1 2026 kept the momentum with EPS of $5.94, up 17% year over year.
Waste Management (NYSE:WM) took a quieter but strategically bold approach. CEO Jim Fish leaned into pricing discipline and route density, then acquired Stericycle in 2024–2025 to create the WM Healthcare Solutions segment. FY2025 revenue reached $25.2 billion, up 14.2%, and the company crossed a 30% adjusted EBITDA margin for the first time. Q1 2026 free cash flow nearly doubled to $920 million.
What $1,000 Would Be Worth Today
Here’s the price performance comparison across standard windows, benchmarked to the S&P 500 via SPY.
| Period | JPM | WM | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Week | 2.98% | 2.51% | 1.39% |
| 1 Month | 8.60% | 3.89% | 1.86% |
| YTD | 6.28% | 5.08% | 10.17% |
| 1 Year | 16.26% | 2.44% | 20.14% |
| 5 Year | 149.29% | 71.83% | 72.92% |
| 10 Year | 610.41% | 305.49% | 253.29% |
- $1,000 in JPMorgan 10 years ago: roughly $7,104 on price alone, plus a rising stream of dividends that grew from $0.48 quarterly in 2016 to $1.50 today.
- $1,000 in Waste Management 10 years ago: roughly $4,055, backed by 23 straight years of dividend growth.
- $1,000 in the S&P 500 10 years ago: roughly $3,533.
JPMorgan crushed the index across five and 10 years, powered by rate tailwinds, buybacks, and record markets revenue. Waste Management edged the S&P over five years and lapped it over 10 years, though the past year has been a digestion period, as Stericycle integration costs have weighed on results.
Where to Put $1,000 Today
Investors should consider JPMorgan today if they believe capital markets will stay hot, credit will stay benign, and the Apple Card book seasons cleanly. Reasons to avoid it include a recession that pushes charge-offs higher or if Dimon’s warnings on sticky inflation and elevated asset prices prove prescient. At 16x trailing earnings and near a 52-week high of $343.45, entry price matters here.
Investors may look to Waste Management for a defensive compounder with a 0.448 beta and 2026 free cash flow guidance of $3.75 billion to $3.85 billion. On the other hand, 33x earnings feels rich for a mid-single-digit revenue grower carrying Stericycle debt. So, consider JPMorgan for the next 12 months and Waste Management for the next decade. Different jobs, different portfolios.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
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