Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH – Get Free Report) and Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST – Get Free Report) are both business services companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, valuation, profitability and institutional ownership.
Earnings & Valuation
This table compares Clean Harbors and Casella Waste Systems”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.
| Gross Revenue | Price/Sales Ratio | Net Income | Earnings Per Share | Price/Earnings Ratio | |
| Clean Harbors | $5.96 billion | 1.86 | $402.30 million | $7.21 | 28.81 |
| Casella Waste Systems | $1.80 billion | 3.11 | $13.54 million | $0.24 | 367.00 |
Analyst Ratings
This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Clean Harbors and Casella Waste Systems, as reported by MarketBeat.
| Sell Ratings | Hold Ratings | Buy Ratings | Strong Buy Ratings | Rating Score | |
| Clean Harbors | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 2.62 |
| Casella Waste Systems | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2.73 |
Clean Harbors currently has a consensus target price of $257.73, indicating a potential upside of 24.06%. Casella Waste Systems has a consensus target price of $113.75, indicating a potential upside of 29.14%. Given Casella Waste Systems’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Casella Waste Systems is more favorable than Clean Harbors.
Institutional and Insider Ownership
90.4% of Clean Harbors shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 99.5% of Casella Waste Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 5.6% of Clean Harbors shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of Casella Waste Systems shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Volatility & Risk
Clean Harbors has a beta of 1.16, meaning that its stock price is 16% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Casella Waste Systems has a beta of 0.83, meaning that its stock price is 17% less volatile than the S&P 500.
Profitability
This table compares Clean Harbors and Casella Waste Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
| Net Margins | Return on Equity | Return on Assets | |
| Clean Harbors | 6.51% | 14.61% | 5.25% |
| Casella Waste Systems | 0.64% | 4.97% | 2.40% |
Summary
Clean Harbors beats Casella Waste Systems on 8 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Clean Harbors
Clean Harbors, Inc. provides environmental and industrial services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Environmental Services and Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions. The Environmental Services segment collects, transports, treats, and disposes hazardous and non-hazardous waste, such as resource recovery, physical treatment, fuel blending, incineration, landfill disposal, wastewater treatment, lab chemicals disposal, and explosives management services; and offers CleanPack services, including collection, identification, categorization, specialized packaging, transportation, and disposal of laboratory chemicals and household hazardous waste. This segment also provides industrial maintenance and specialty industrial services; and utilizes specialty equipment and resources that performs field services. The Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions segment provides pickup and transportation services for hazardous and non-hazardous containerized waste for recycling or disposal; machine cleaning and maintenance, and disposal and replenishment of clean solvent or aqueous fluids; and vacuum services to remove solids, residual oily water, and sludge and other fluids from customers' oil/water separators, sumps, and collection tanks, as well as removes and collects waste fluids found at large and small industrial locations, including metal fabricators, auto maintenance providers, and general manufacturers. This segment also manufactures, formulates, packages, distributes, and markets lubricants and other automotive products. Clean Harbors, Inc. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts.
About Casella Waste Systems
Casella Waste Systems, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a vertically integrated solid waste services company in the United States. It offers resource management services primarily in the areas of solid waste collection and disposal, transfer, recycling, and organics services to residential, commercial, municipal, institutional, and industrial customers. The company provides non-hazardous solid waste services, including collections, transfer stations, recycling, and disposal operations. In addition, it markets materials, including fibers, corrugated cardboard, newsprint, plastics, glass, ferrous, and aluminum metals. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. was founded in 1975 and is headquartered in Rutland, Vermont.
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