Tearsheet

Clean Harbors (CLH)


Market Price (12/4/2025): $237.17 | Market Cap: $12.7 Bil
Sector: Industrials | Industry: Environmental & Facilities Services

Clean Harbors (CLH)


Market Price (12/4/2025): $237.17
Market Cap: $12.7 Bil
Sector: Industrials
Industry: Environmental & Facilities Services

Investment Highlights Why It Matters Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?

1. Generates cash flow

The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.

2. Riding a trend

Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow


0 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 14%
Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -2.5%
 
1 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 28%
  
2 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Sustainable Infrastructure, Circular Economy & Recycling, and Sustainable Resource Management. Themes include Waste Management Solutions, Show more.
  
0 Attractive cash flow generation
CFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 14%
1 Low stock price volatility
Vol 12M is 28%
2 Megatrend and thematic drivers
Megatrends include Sustainable Infrastructure, Circular Economy & Recycling, and Sustainable Resource Management. Themes include Waste Management Solutions, Show more.
3 Weak multi-year price returns
2Y Excs Rtn is -2.5%

Valuation, Metrics & Events

CLH Stock


Why The Stock Moved


Qualitative Assessment

AI Generated Analysis | Feedback

Clean Harbors (CLH) has experienced varied news between August 31, 2025, and December 4, 2025, including contract wins and quarterly earnings. However, the provided search results indicate positive stock movement following recent contract announcements (a 7.0% increase), and also mention a pre-market sell-off of approximately 6.2% due to missing analyst expectations in Q3 2025 earnings. The request asks for key points explaining a -2.1% stock movement. Given the conflicting information (positive movements reported on December 2-3, 2025, and a larger negative pre-market movement on October 29, 2025, due to earnings), and the absence of a clear -2.1% movement explanation for the entire period, providing a precise breakdown for a specific -2.1% decline over the entire specified period is not directly supported by the provided search results. Therefore, I will highlight the major events that influenced the stock during this period, which collectively indicate volatility rather than a singular, clear -2.1% decline explanation for the overall period.

1. Clean Harbors announced third-quarter 2025 financial results on October 29, 2025, which fell short of analyst expectations for both revenue and earnings per share, leading to a notable pre-market sell-off of approximately 6.2%.

2. The company secured new contracts totaling $110 million over three years for PFAS water filtration at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, announced on December 2, 2025. This news led to a significant increase in stock price, rising by 7.0%.

Show more

Stock Movement Drivers

Return vs. Risk


Price Returns Compared

 202020212022202320242025Total [1]
Returns
CLH Return-11%31%14%53%32%4%179%
Peers Return16%46%-2%16%19%0%131%
S&P 500 Return16%27%-19%24%23%16%112%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
CLH Win Rate50%75%42%75%58%60% 
Peers Win Rate60%71%46%54%62%52% 
S&P 500 Win Rate58%75%42%67%75%70% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
CLH Max Drawdown-63%-2%-17%-3%-7%-21% 
Peers Max Drawdown-29%-7%-19%-7%-4%-10% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-31%-1%-25%-1%-2%-15% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: WM, RSG, ACM, CWST, MDRN. See CLH Returns vs. Peers.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 12/3/2025 (YTD)

How Low Can It Go

Unique KeyEventCLHS&P 500
2022 Inflation Shock2022 Inflation Shock  
2022 Inflation Shock% Loss% Loss-29.3%-25.4%
2022 Inflation Shock% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven41.4%34.1%
2022 Inflation ShockTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven57 days464 days
2020 Covid Pandemic2020 Covid Pandemic  
2020 Covid Pandemic% Loss% Loss-64.5%-33.9%
2020 Covid Pandemic% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven181.8%51.3%
2020 Covid PandemicTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven343 days148 days
2018 Correction2018 Correction  
2018 Correction% Loss% Loss-35.0%-19.8%
2018 Correction% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven53.8%24.7%
2018 CorrectionTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven92 days120 days
2008 Global Financial Crisis2008 Global Financial Crisis  
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Loss% Loss-50.4%-56.8%
2008 Global Financial Crisis% Gain to Breakeven% Gain to Breakeven101.6%131.3%
2008 Global Financial CrisisTime to BreakevenTime to Breakeven644 days1480 days

Compare to WM, RSG, ACM, CWST, MDRN


In The Past

Clean Harbors's stock fell -29.3% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 11/2/2021. A -29.3% loss requires a 41.4% gain to breakeven.

Preserve Wealth

Limiting losses and compounding gains is essential to preserving wealth over time.

Asset Allocation

Actively managed asset allocation strategies protect wealth. Learn more.

About Clean Harbors (CLH)

Better Bets than Clean Harbors (CLH)

Trade Ideas

Select past ideas related to CLH. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.

Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
CNM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025CNMCore & MainDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
7.3%7.3%-1.6%
VRRM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025VRRMVerra MobilityDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
2.3%2.3%-1.2%
LII_11212025_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy11212025LIILennox InternationalDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
4.8%4.8%0.0%
ADP_11212025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11212025ADPAutomatic Data ProcessingMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
1.6%1.6%-1.2%
CW_11212025_Quality_Momentum_RoomToRun_10%11212025CWCurtiss-WrightQualityQ | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and Upside
Buying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run
2.2%2.2%0.0%
Unique KeyDateTickerCompanyCategoryTrade Strategy6M Fwd Rtn12M Fwd Rtn12M Max DD
CNM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025CNMCore & MainDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
7.3%7.3%-1.6%
VRRM_11212025_Dip_Buyer_FCFYield11212025VRRMVerra MobilityDip BuyDB | FCFY OPMDip Buy with High FCF Yield and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with high FCF yield and meaningfully high operating margin
2.3%2.3%-1.2%
LII_11212025_Dip_Buyer_ValueBuy11212025LIILennox InternationalDip BuyDB | P/E OPMDip Buy with Low PE and High Margin
Buying dips for companies with tame PE and meaningfully high operating margin
4.8%4.8%0.0%
ADP_11212025_Monopoly_xInd_xCD_Getting_Cheaper11212025ADPAutomatic Data ProcessingMonopolyMY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S Decline
Large cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple
1.6%1.6%-1.2%
CW_11212025_Quality_Momentum_RoomToRun_10%11212025CWCurtiss-WrightQualityQ | Momentum | UpsideQuality Stocks with Momentum and Upside
Buying quality stocks with strong momentum but still having room to run
2.2%2.2%0.0%

Recent Active Movers

Recent Active Movers

More From Trefis

Peer Comparisons for Clean Harbors

Peers to compare with:

Financials

CLHWMRSGACMCWSTMDRNMedian
NameClean Ha.Waste Ma.Republic.AECOM Casella .Modern M. 
Mkt Price237.01216.15215.37103.8995.68-215.37
Mkt Cap12.787.167.113.76.1-13.7
Rev LTM5,96224,78416,50216,0751,795-16,075
Op Inc LTM6524,3723,3281,01893-1,018
FCF LTM4412,4022,52982578-825
FCF 3Y Avg3402,0592,11869974-699
CFO LTM8165,8564,337924343-924
CFO 3Y Avg7645,1683,893822271-822

Growth & Margins

CLHWMRSGACMCWSTMDRNMedian
NameClean Ha.Waste Ma.Republic.AECOM Casella .Modern M. 
Rev Chg LTM2.9%15.9%4.3%1.5%20.5%-4.3%
Rev Chg 3Y Avg6.0%8.6%8.5%7.2%19.6%-8.5%
Rev Chg Q1.3%14.9%3.3%0.7%17.9%-3.3%
QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM0.3%3.5%0.8%0.2%4.3%-0.8%
Op Mgn LTM10.9%17.6%20.2%6.3%5.2%-10.9%
Op Mgn 3Y Avg11.3%18.4%19.3%5.8%6.9%-11.3%
QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM-0.0%-0.2%-0.3%0.2%-0.5%--0.2%
CFO/Rev LTM13.7%23.6%26.3%5.7%19.1%-19.1%
CFO/Rev 3Y Avg13.4%23.3%24.8%5.4%18.2%-18.2%
FCF/Rev LTM7.4%9.7%15.3%5.1%4.4%-7.4%
FCF/Rev 3Y Avg5.9%9.3%13.5%4.6%5.2%-5.9%

Valuation

CLHWMRSGACMCWSTMDRNMedian
NameClean Ha.Waste Ma.Republic.AECOM Casella .Modern M. 
Mkt Cap12.787.167.113.76.1-13.7
P/S2.13.64.30.93.4-3.4
P/EBIT18.321.822.913.673.1-21.8
P/E32.034.733.924.3394.8-33.9
P/CFO15.215.216.516.217.6-16.2
Total Yield3.1%4.3%4.0%5.0%0.3%-4.0%
Dividend Yield0.0%1.5%1.0%0.9%0.0%-0.9%
FCF Yield 3Y Avg3.0%2.6%3.6%5.4%1.4%-3.0%
D/E0.20.30.20.20.2-0.2
Net D/E0.20.30.20.10.2-0.2

Returns

CLHWMRSGACMCWSTMDRNMedian
NameClean Ha.Waste Ma.Republic.AECOM Casella .Modern M. 
1M Rtn13.6%9.8%4.9%-21.2%7.8%-7.8%
3M Rtn-1.6%-3.3%-7.1%-16.1%0.1%--3.3%
6M Rtn5.8%-8.9%-14.8%-5.8%-18.3%--8.9%
12M Rtn-7.5%-2.6%1.3%-8.5%-16.0%--7.5%
3Y Rtn91.1%32.9%59.0%24.3%10.4%-32.9%
1M Excs Rtn13.6%9.9%4.9%-21.1%7.9%-7.9%
3M Excs Rtn-8.7%-8.9%-13.0%-22.7%-5.2%--8.9%
6M Excs Rtn-9.0%-23.6%-29.5%-20.6%-33.0%--23.6%
12M Excs Rtn-22.4%-17.5%-13.9%-23.9%-29.0%--22.4%
3Y Excs Rtn25.3%-35.2%-9.2%-43.3%-60.1%--35.2%

Financials

Segment Financials

Revenue by Segment

$ Mil20242023202220212020
Environmental Services4,5114,1723,0322,6382,237
Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions897994773506 
Corporate0100-3
Safety-Kleen    1,178
Total5,4095,1673,8063,1443,412


Operating Income by Segment
$ Mil20242023202220212020
Environmental Services1,102953660666446
Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions17330622783 
Kimball startup costs0    
Accretion of environmental liabilities-14-13-12-11-10
Stock-based compensation-21-27-19-19 
Corporate Costs-262    
Depreciation and amortization-366-348-298-293-301
Corporate -237-210-175-188
Safety-Kleen    282
Total612635348251229


Assets by Segment
$ Mil20242023202220212020
Environmental Services3,218    
Accounts receivable, net of all allowances983    
Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions735    
Cash and cash equivalents445    
Inventories and supplies328    
Operating lease right-of-use assets187    
Corporate131    
Unbilled accounts receivable108    
Short-term marketable securities106    
Prepaid expenses and other current assets83    
Other long-term assets60    
Total6,383    


Price Behavior

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date11142025
Short Interest: Shares Quantity2,108,535
Short Interest: % Change Since 10312025-4.9%
Average Daily Volume546,637
Days-to-Cover Short Interest3.86
Basic Shares Quantity53,518,000
Short % of Basic Shares3.9%

SEC Filings

Expand for More

Report DateFiling DateFiling
93020251029202510-Q 9/30/2025
6302025730202510-Q 6/30/2025
3312025430202510-Q 3/31/2025
12312024219202510-K 12/31/2024
93020241030202410-Q 9/30/2024
6302024731202410-Q 6/30/2024
3312024501202410-Q 3/31/2024
12312023221202410-K 12/31/2023
93020231101202310-Q 9/30/2023
6302023802202310-Q 6/30/2023
3312023503202310-Q 3/31/2023
12312022301202310-K 12/31/2022
93020221102202210-Q 9/30/2022
6302022803202210-Q 6/30/2022
3312022504202210-Q 3/31/2022
12312021223202210-K 12/31/2021