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Clean Harbors (CLH) Stock Rises 31% in a Year: Here's How

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Clean Harbors, Inc. (CLH - Free Report) has had an impressive run over the past year. The stock has gained 30.6% against the 3.9% decline of the industry it belongs to and the 7.5% fall of the Zacks S&P 500 composite.

Reasons for the Upside

Clean Harbors has put on an impressive earnings performance in the past four quarters. The company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in all the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 30.8%.

Being a leading provider of environmental and industrial services, CLH is expected to continue benefiting from ongoing trends like increasing environmental concerns, rapid industrialization, increase in population and active government measures to reduce illegal dumping. The company’s top line increased 14.2% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Clean Harbors continues to make capital investments to enhance its quality and comply with government and local regulations. The current regulatory requirements are cost-intensive and complicated for in-house disposal facilities, which, in turn, compel most companies to outsource their hazardous waste disposal needs.  This is where Clean Harbors steps in with its suitable disposal firms in Canada and the United States.

The company has a diversified customer base, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to midsize and small public and private entities, which provide it with stable and recurring sources of revenue. It has been chosen as an authorized vendor by large and small generators of waste as it has comprehensive waste disposal and waste tracking capabilities.

Clean Harbors has a consistent track record of share repurchases. In 2022, 2021 and 2020, the company repurchased shares worth $50.2 million, $54.4 million and $74.8 million respectively.

Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider

CLH currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Business Services sector are ExlService (EXLS - Free Report) and Maximus (MMS - Free Report) .

For first-quarter 2023, ExlService’searnings are expected to increase 13.4% year over year to $1.61 per share. In 2023, the company’s bottom line is expected to increase 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. The company currently sports a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Maximus’ first-quarter 2023 and full-year earnings is pegged at 78 cents per share and $4.16, respectively. The first-quarter consensus mark has been revised 8.2% downward in the past 60 days. The consensus estimate for full-year 2023 has been revised 2.7% upward in the past 60 days. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2.


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