Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.04 EPS

Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.47 billion. Clean Harbors had a return on equity of 14.47% and a net margin of 6.48%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.09 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Clean Harbors’ conference call:

• Company beat Q1 expectations, with consolidated adjusted EBITDA up 6% to $248M and management raising 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $1.24B–$1.30B (midpoint $1.27B), implying ~9% growth vs. 2025.
• SKSS outperformed materially — Q1 adjusted EBITDA rose 17% with a 320 bp margin improvement, driven by charge-for-oil actions and a late-quarter base oil price rally; management now expects SKSS ~ $165M of EBITDA for 2026.
• Environmental Services showed continued momentum: 16th consecutive quarter of margin improvement, strong project/PFAS work (landfill volumes +34%) and field-service expansion (opened branches), supported by a new PFAS framework and EPA/DoD guidance that bolsters the sales pipeline.
• Balance sheet and capital allocation remain constructive with cash and marketable securities of roughly $670M, net debt/EBITDA ~2x, $25M of share buybacks in Q1 and $575M remaining authorization, while management continues to fund strategic CapEx and tuck?in M&A.
• Caveats and risks include persistent weakness/uncertainty in industrial services (refinery turnaround cadence), uncertainty around the duration of elevated base?oil spreads, and typical Q1 seasonal negative adjusted free cash flow, which could pressure near?term results if market conditions reverse.

Clean Harbors Trading Down 7.5%

Shares of CLH opened at $290.28 on Thursday. Clean Harbors has a 52-week low of $201.34 and a 52-week high of $316.98. The business’s fifty day moving average is $294.80 and its 200-day moving average is $260.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 2.00 and a current ratio of 2.33. The firm has a market cap of $15.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.87 and a beta of 0.92.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLH has been the subject of several analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $320.00 price objective on shares of Clean Harbors in a report on Monday, February 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Clean Harbors in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Clean Harbors from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Clean Harbors from $268.00 to $306.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Clean Harbors from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clean Harbors has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $315.55.

Key Clean Harbors News

Here are the key news stories impacting Clean Harbors this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade and higher price target from Needham — Needham raised its price target to $325 and maintained a Buy rating, signaling ~12% upside vs. recent levels, which supports the stock’s longer-term upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and raised guidance — Clean Harbors reported Q1 EPS $1.19 vs. $1.15 consensus and raised full-year adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free-cash-flow ranges, underscoring improved profitability prospects. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Independent coverage highlighting durable growth thesis — commentary pieces argue the company’s quality-growth story remains intact despite the short-term pullback, which may support recovery if execution continues. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat noted by data services — Zacks and other outlets flagged the EPS beat (Q1 EPS $1.19 vs. $1.15 est.), reinforcing that profitability metrics outperformed expectations. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and slide deck — management’s prepared remarks and slides (details on segment performance, capex plan and guidance drivers) are available for investors wanting to verify the outlook and cash-flow assumptions. Read More. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slight miss and cash consumption — revenue of $1.46B missed the ~ $1.47B Street view; Q1 adjusted free cash flow was negative as the company invested heavily, which spooked investors expecting stronger near-term cash conversion. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling highlighted — recent disclosures show multiple insider sales over the past six months; while not definitive, higher-profile insider sales can weigh on sentiment. Read More.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Eric W. Gerstenberg sold 1,000 shares of Clean Harbors stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.00, for a total value of $293,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 38,877 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,390,961. This trade represents a 2.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Brian P. Weber sold 4,683 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.39, for a total value of $1,373,945.37. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 48,728 shares in the company, valued at $14,296,307.92. This represents a 8.77% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,597 shares of company stock worth $3,895,286. 5.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clean Harbors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CLH. Durable Capital Partners LP acquired a new position in Clean Harbors during the 3rd quarter worth about $133,217,000. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in Clean Harbors by 148.3% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 384,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $89,287,000 after buying an additional 229,666 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Clean Harbors by 3,782.7% during the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 194,718 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $45,657,000 after buying an additional 189,703 shares during the period. FIL Ltd lifted its holdings in Clean Harbors by 88.4% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 352,690 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $82,699,000 after buying an additional 165,517 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in Clean Harbors by 28.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 454,094 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $105,450,000 after buying an additional 99,408 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.43% of the company’s stock.

Clean Harbors Company Profile

Clean Harbors, Inc is a leading provider of environmental, energy and industrial services in North America. The company specializes in the collection, transportation and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes, emergency spill response and remediation, industrial cleaning and on-site field services. Its comprehensive service offering also includes chemical neutralization, drum crushing, high-pressure water blasting, tank cleaning and vacuum services designed to help customers meet stringent environmental regulations.

Founded in 1980 by Alan S.