Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) Sees Strong Trading Volume After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Clean Harbors reported Q1 EPS of $1.19 beating estimates and subsequently raised full‑year guidance, prompting multiple analysts to lift price targets and leaving a MarketBeat consensus target of $318.83 (consensus rating: Moderate Buy).
• Shares saw a 17% increase in volume to 612,873 after Wells Fargo nudged its price target to $313; the stock last traded around $288.65, up from a prior close of $282.37.
• Notable insider selling was reported recently (13,597 shares worth ~$3.9M in the last 90 days), with company insiders owning about 5% of the stock, a factor that could weigh on investor sentiment.

Shares of Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH - Get Free Report) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $309.00 to $313.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. 612,873 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 17% from the previous session's volume of 522,960 shares.The stock last traded at $288.6490 and had previously closed at $282.37.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upgraded Clean Harbors from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $302.00 to $346.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Needham & Company LLC raised their price objective on Clean Harbors from $308.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Zacks Research upgraded Clean Harbors from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on Clean Harbors from $310.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Clean Harbors from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Clean Harbors news, EVP Brian P. Weber sold 4,683 shares of Clean Harbors stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 48,728 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,296,307.92. The trade was a 8.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Eric J. Dugas sold 2,788 shares of Clean Harbors stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $281.31, for a total value of $784,292.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 15,933 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,482,112.23. The trade was a 14.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,597 shares of company stock valued at $3,895,286 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.00% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Clean Harbors

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised full‑year guidance, citing stronger margins and improved profitability — management lifted adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free‑cash‑flow ranges. Clean Harbors Lifts Guidance On Margin Strength Clean Harbors beats profit view, raises full-year outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat consensus — reported EPS $1.19 vs. estimate $1.15, showing year‑over‑year improvement. CLH Beats Q1 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised forecasts and price targets after the print (Needham, Oppenheimer, Wells Fargo among those boosting targets/ratings), supporting upside thesis. Analysts Boost Forecasts Needham Raises Target to $325
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q1 call transcript and presentation available — useful for drilling into margin drivers, segment trends and capex plans. Q1 2026 Earnings Transcript Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer‑term growth narrative reiterated by analysts and commentators — quality growth story remains though near‑term execution is being watched. Quality Growth Story Zacks Growth Thesis
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue slightly missed expectations (reported $1.46B vs ~ $1.47B expected), which, combined with Q1 cash consumption from elevated capex and investments, sparked the negative market reaction. Sales Below Estimates Revenue Miss & Cash-Flow Usage Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling noted in recent months, which could weigh on sentiment for some investors. Insider Trading & Ownership Notes

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clean Harbors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Candriam S.C.A. increased its holdings in shares of Clean Harbors by 36.4% during the third quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 68,867 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $15,992,000 after acquiring an additional 18,367 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Clean Harbors by 7.8% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 219,862 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $51,059,000 after acquiring an additional 15,872 shares in the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL increased its holdings in shares of Clean Harbors by 86.0% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 63,104 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $14,654,000 after acquiring an additional 29,176 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Clean Harbors by 120.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,040,594 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $246,725,000 after buying an additional 569,388 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its position in shares of Clean Harbors by 715.0% during the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 7,262 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,686,000 after buying an additional 6,371 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.43% of the company's stock.

Clean Harbors Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a PE ratio of 39.05 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $294.75 and a 200-day moving average of $260.80.

Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. Clean Harbors had a return on equity of 14.37% and a net margin of 6.53%.Clean Harbors's quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.09 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Clean Harbors, Inc. will post 8.25 earnings per share for the current year.

About Clean Harbors

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.