Clean Harbors Stock Gains 16% in 6 Months: Here's What You Should Know

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Let us delve into the factors that have contributed to the company’s outperformance.

Outlook Reinforced by Upward Estimates Revision: For 2026, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for top line is pinned at $6.6 billion, suggesting 6.9% year-over-year growth. The consensus estimate for EPS is pegged at $9.51, implying a 30.6% increase.

Over the past 60 days, four EPS estimates for 2026 have been revised upward with no downward adjustments, highlighting optimistic sentiments among analysts. In the same period, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 EPS moved up 11.9%.

Robust analyst conviction, coupled with bright top- and bottom-line momentum, bolsters CLH’s performance in 2026. This stock offers a solid risk-reward entry point for investors seeking a growth play, supported by strong fundamentals and analyst sentiment.

Solid Liquidity Profile: As of June 30, 2026, CLH held $517 million in cash and equivalents against a current debt of $13 million. The company’s liquidity profile stands on the back of a manifold increase in operating cash flow to $239 million during the second quarter of 2026 and a free cash flow (FCF) of $115 million, which is a significant rise from the preceding quarter’s negative FCF of $91 million. A strong balance sheet and cash position rank CLH’s liquidity profile in the top tier.

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Clean Harbors’ current ratio attests to its solid liquidity profile. During the second quarter of 2026, CLH’s current ratio of 2.13 outperformed its industry average of 1.02, signaling effective short-term debt coverage and minimal liquidity risks.

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Capital Return via Persistent Share Buyback: The company repurchased $50.2 million of stock in 2022, $51.1 million in 2023, $55.2 million in 2024 and $250 million in 2025. In the first six months of 2026, it repurchased another $52.1 million of common stock. During the second quarter of 2026, share count dipped marginally year over year, which, when combined with 34.3% net income growth, led to a 36.4% jump in EPS. This EPS accretion maximizes shareholders' value.

Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Clean Harbors currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader Zacks Business Services sector are Acuity AYI and Marsh MRSH, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Acuity has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 10%. AYI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.9%, on average.

Marsh has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 6.7%. MRSH delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4.1%, on average.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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