Principal Financial Group Inc. Purchases 4,097 Shares of Clean Harbors, Inc. $CLH

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group increased its Clean Harbors stake by 3.8% in the first quarter, buying 4,097 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 112,106 shares worth about $32.1 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains generally positive: several firms raised price targets, and the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $326.
• Clean Harbors reported better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, with EPS of $1.19 topping estimates, while revenue grew 1.9% year over year to $1.46 billion.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH - Free Report) by 3.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 112,106 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 4,097 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of Clean Harbors worth $32,144,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Clean Harbors during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Quattro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clean Harbors during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in Clean Harbors during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Clean Harbors by 205.1% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 119 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Clean Harbors by 676.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 132 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on CLH. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Clean Harbors from $268.00 to $306.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Clean Harbors from $310.00 to $316.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Clean Harbors from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Clean Harbors from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Clean Harbors from $340.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $326.00.

Insider Activity at Clean Harbors

In related news, Director Lauren States sold 789 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $286.19, for a total value of $225,803.91. Following the sale, the director owned 11,359 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,250,832.21. The trade was a 6.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 5.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Clean Harbors Stock Performance

NYSE CLH opened at $310.16 on Monday. Clean Harbors, Inc. has a twelve month low of $201.34 and a twelve month high of $316.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The stock has a market cap of $16.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.03 and a beta of 0.86. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $292.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.30.

Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The business services provider reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.04. Clean Harbors had a net margin of 6.53% and a return on equity of 14.37%. The firm had revenue of $1.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Clean Harbors, Inc. will post 8.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.

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