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CLH

NYSE
Weak · 38/100

Clean Harbors Inc

Industrials
Commercial Services & Supplies

$294.17

1.0%

Updated Today 12:11 PM ET

Report Card

CLH at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Weak · 38/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Price — Past Year

▲ Up 25.9% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageDCF fair value ±15%Source: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$15.39B

P/E

39.2x

Forward P/E (est.)

38.3x

ROE

14.4%

Revenue Growth

1.9%

EPS Growth

2.3%

Profit Margin

6.5%

FCF Yield

4.5%

Debt / Equity

1.09x

ROIC

12.0%

Interest Coverage

Current Ratio

2.34x

Dividend Yield

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

6.0%

Rating Score

38/100

Business Overview
Research

Clean Harbors Inc (CLH) is a large-cap company in the Commercial Services & Supplies industry, part of the Industrials sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $15.39B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $6.03B in revenue and $390.97M in net profit.

Our model rates CLH Weak (38/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what CLH's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. CLH trades near $294.17, above its 50-day average ($293.76) and 200-day average ($264.05). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 58 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. CLH's is $7.38 (~2.5% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month CLH found buyers near $278.05 (support) and sellers near $305.46 (resistance); its 52-week range is $201.34–$316.98. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 0.2× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

12.2%

3/4 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpointEPS growingEPS growing faster than revenue

Revenue moved from $2.76B in 2016 to $6.03B in 2025, a 9.1% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year was roughly flat (1.9%) year over year. Slower, mature growth is common for established businesses.

Profitability
Research
3/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

31.7%

Operating Margin

11.2%

Net Margin

6.5%

ROE

14.4%

Clean Harbors Inc keeps about 6.5% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 31.7% gross margin and 11.2% operating margin. Return on equity is 14.4% and return on invested capital about 12.0%. Margins are moderate — typical of a competitive but profitable business.

Debt Analysis
Research
2/3 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityShort-term bills covered

Total Debt

$1.62B

Net Debt

$1.15B

Net Debt / EBITDA

1.7x

Debt / Equity

1.09x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.1x, with a current ratio of 2.3x. That is a moderate, manageable debt load for most businesses. It carries roughly $1.62B of total debt against $475.71M of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$866.73M

Free Cash Flow

$441.81M

FCF Margin

7.3%

In the latest year Clean Harbors Inc produced about $866.73M of operating cash flow and $441.81M of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 4.5% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Valuation Analysis
Research
3/4 checks passedPositive earnings (P/E meaningful)P/E below sector's upper bandForward P/E below trailing (earnings growing)Trading below DCF fair value

P/E

39.2x

P/S

2.57x

P/B

4.56x

EV / EBITDA

14.77x

CLH trades at 39.2x trailing earnings (about 38.3x on estimated forward earnings), 2.6x sales, and 4.6x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 6.0% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a premium multiple that needs growth to justify it.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$127.41

Current price

$294.17

-57% · Above fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$441.81M

Growth, years 1–5

1.9%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$3.12B
PV of terminal value$3.62B
Estimated equity value$6.73B
Shares outstanding53M

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where CLH sits versus its Industrials sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
39.2xFair
Forward P/E
38.3xFair
P/S ratio
2.6xFair
Revenue growth
1.9%Average
EPS growth
2.3%Average
Gross margin
31.7%Average
Net margin
6.5%Average
ROE
14.4%Average

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 87 Industrials companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How CLH stacks up against its Industrials peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Industrials sector (165 S&P 500 companies), CLH ranks #69 of 165 by our overall rating. It trades at a premium versus the sector on earnings (39.2x P/E vs. 32x median) with a lower return on equity (14.4% vs. 19.7%) and slower revenue growth (1.9% vs. 5.2%).

P/E vs sector

39.2x

median 32x

ROE vs sector

14.4%

median 19.7%

Growth vs sector

1.9%

median 5.2%

Sector rank

#69

of 165 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
CLHThis stock39.2x1.9%Weak· 38
GFL91.9x-12.1%Weak· 21
CMPRNot rated
CWSTNot rated
HCSGNot rated
LQDTNot rated
MLKNNot rated
LTM9.6x16.1%Favorable· 66
Industrials median32x5.2%21/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianGFLLTMCLHP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Industrials companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 165 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $294.17 today · expected CAGR -9%1%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$6.21B$6.40B$6.59B$6.79B$6.99B
Net income$372.71M$383.89M$395.40M$407.27M$419.48M
EPS$7.05$7.26$7.48$7.71$7.94
Share price (low)$162.21$167.08$172.09$177.25$182.57
Share price (high)$275.05$283.31$291.81$300.56$309.58
CAGR (low–high)-45% / -6%-25% / -2%-16% / -0%-12% / 1%-9% / 1%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for CLH:

  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~4.5%) funds buybacks and dividends.
  • As an established S&P 500 member in Industrials, it brings scale and a long operating history.
Bear Case

The case against CLH:

  • Revenue growth is slow (1.9%), limiting the upside engine.
  • Our model's overall read is Weak (38/100).
Key Risks
Research

Valuation risk — at 39.2x earnings, disappointing results could compress the multiple.

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.1x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Growth risk — sluggish revenue (1.9%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the fundamentals screen weakly: Clean Harbors Inc is a large-cap industrials business growing at a mature pace, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 39.2x earnings, which our model scores Weak (38/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

CLH — frequently asked questions

Is CLH a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Clean Harbors Inc Weak (38/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is CLH's rating on The Stocks School?

Clean Harbors Inc currently scores 38/100 (Weak) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does CLH's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Clean Harbors Inc's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for CLH calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this CLH analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell CLH. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.