Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The business services provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.59 by $0.03, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.46 billion. Clean Harbors had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 14.61%. Clean Harbors’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.55 earnings per share.

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

• Clean Harbors delivered a record 2025 with > $6 billion in revenue, Adjusted EBITDA of ~$1.17 billion (up ~5%), and a record $509 million in adjusted free cash flow while expanding margins.
• The Environmental Services segment showed continued strength (15th straight quarter of YoY margin expansion) and accelerating PFAS momentum — highlighted by the EPA study, a Senate hearing, and a $110 million Pearl Harbor contract — with management modeling only a 20% PFAS business growth for 2026.
• Management is active on capital allocation: signed a ~$130 million acquisition (DCI businesses) expected to add ~$11 million EBITDA, approved a $50 million vacuum truck expansion (targeting $12–14M incremental EBITDA in 2028), and executed record repurchases ($250M in 2025) with ~$600M buyback capacity remaining.
• Safety?Kleen (SKSS) faces continuing base?oil price headwinds — Q4 revenue softened despite a Q4 EBITDA lift from higher collection charges — and guidance assumes SKSS Adjusted EBITDA of ~$135 million with Q1 softness and a slight base?oil price decline embedded.
• 2026 guidance is conservative: Adjusted EBITDA of $1.20B–$1.26B (midpoint ~$1.23B, ~5% growth), adjusted free cash flow of $480M–$540M (mid $510M), and net CapEx ~ $340M–$400M (plus SDA/fleet spends), leaving upside if industrial activity or PFAS regulation accelerates.

Clean Harbors Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of Clean Harbors stock opened at $276.37 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $253.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $239.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.77 billion, a PE ratio of 38.33 and a beta of 0.96. Clean Harbors has a 52-week low of $178.29 and a 52-week high of $286.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CLH. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $310.00 target price on shares of Clean Harbors in a research note on Wednesday. CJS Securities upgraded shares of Clean Harbors to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Clean Harbors from $245.00 to $240.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup increased their target price on Clean Harbors from $263.00 to $274.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on Clean Harbors from $277.00 to $270.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $265.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clean Harbors

In related news, CEO Eric W. Gerstenberg sold 601 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $240.90, for a total value of $144,780.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,154,368.60. This represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 5.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Clean Harbors by 34.4% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 449 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Clean Harbors by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 762 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $179,000 after buying an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in Clean Harbors during the fourth quarter valued at about $208,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Clean Harbors by 313.8% in the third quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,022 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certuity LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clean Harbors during the third quarter worth about $224,000. 90.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Clean Harbors News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat revenue and EPS estimates, with year?over?year revenue growth and higher segment profitability — management called out strong Environmental segment performance. This is the immediate fundamental catalyst supporting the stock. Business Wire: Q4 & Full?Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentary highlight management actions (buybacks), fleet reinvestment, and an environmental acquisition — items that support long?term growth and valuation upside if execution continues. Yahoo Finance: Valuation, Buybacks & Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call emphasized record cash generation but a cautious near?term outlook from management — positive for balance sheet/optionality, but the cautious tone limits immediate upside until guidance clarity. TipRanks: Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry notes (Zacks coverage) list Clean Harbors among waste/environmental peers poised to benefit from ESG, WTE tech and secular demand — supportive industry backdrop but not an immediate stock catalyst. Sharewise/Zacks: Industry Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research has trimmed near?term and fiscal estimates (multiple quarter revisions and a lower FY number), and currently carries a “Hold” view — analyst downgrades/estimate cuts can pressure multiple expansion and weigh on sentiment until guidance or trends reaccelerate.

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.