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Clean Harbors (CLH) Stock Rises 32% in 6 Months: Here's How

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Clean Harbors, Inc. (CLH - Free Report) has had an impressive run over the past six months.

The stock has gained 31.7%, significantly outperforming the 2% rise of the industry it belongs to and 8.5% growth 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 27.4%.

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 11.8% year over year in the first quarter of 2023.

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 provides 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

Clean Harbors currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Investors interested in the Zacks Business Services sector can consider the following better-ranked stocks.

Green Dot (GDOT - Free Report) : GDOT currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and has a VGM score of A. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The company has an impressive earning surprise history, beating the consensus mark in all the trailing four quarters. The company has an average surprise of 37.3%.

Maximus (MMS - Free Report) : MMS presently carries a Zacks Rank of 2 and has a VGM score of B.

The company has an impressive earning surprise history, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three instances and missing once, the average surprise being 9.6%.


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