Smart Powerr (NASDAQ:CREG) & GFL Environmental (NYSE:GFL) Critical Contrast

GFL Environmental (NYSE:GFL) and Smart Powerr (NASDAQ:CREG) are both industrials companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, dividends and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares GFL Environmental and Smart Powerr’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
GFL Environmental	-4.93%	3.84%	1.45%
Smart Powerr	-732.00%	-1.95%	-1.76%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares GFL Environmental and Smart Powerr”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
GFL Environmental	$4.73 billion	3.91	$2.74 billion	($0.79)	-53.72
Smart Powerr	$350,237.00	0.13	-$2.90 million	($1.90)	-0.01

GFL Environmental has higher revenue and earnings than Smart Powerr. GFL Environmental is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Smart Powerr, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Volatility and Risk

GFL Environmental has a beta of 0.68, suggesting that its share price is 32% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Smart Powerr has a beta of 2.46, suggesting that its share price is 146% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and target prices for GFL Environmental and Smart Powerr, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
GFL Environmental	2	3	10	0	2.53
Smart Powerr	1	0	0	0	1.00

GFL Environmental currently has a consensus target price of $57.33, suggesting a potential upside of 35.11%. Given GFL Environmental’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe GFL Environmental is more favorable than Smart Powerr.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

64.7% of GFL Environmental shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.2% of Smart Powerr shares are held by institutional investors. 8.7% of GFL Environmental shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 15.3% of Smart Powerr shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

GFL Environmental beats Smart Powerr on 11 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.

About GFL Environmental

GFL Environmental is a North American waste management company focused on providing solid waste collection, recycling, processing and disposal services. Its operations serve residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers in Canada and the United States. Founded in 2007, the company expanded through acquisitions and growth in its waste management operations. GFL is headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario. In 2025, GFL completed the sale of its Environmental Services business, which included liquid waste management and soil remediation operations.

About Smart Powerr

Smart Powerr Corp. (NASDAQ: CREG) is a clean-energy company focused on the development and operation of energy-storage and renewable-energy projects. Its activities include energy-storage systems, distributed solar power generation and related energy-management solutions designed to support more efficient and reliable electricity use. The company was formerly known as China Recycling Energy Corporation. Historically, it provided energy-conservation solutions for industrial customers by recovering waste energy—such as waste heat, pressure and gases generated during production—and converting it into usable electricity.