Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $250.0833.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CLH shares. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $237.00 price objective on shares of Clean Harbors in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Clean Harbors in a report on Monday, December 29th. Raymond James Financial cut their price target on shares of Clean Harbors from $277.00 to $270.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Clean Harbors from $253.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Clean Harbors in a report on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $220.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Clean Harbors news, CEO Eric W. Gerstenberg sold 601 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.90, for a total value of $144,780.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 50,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,154,368.60. This trade represents a 1.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 5.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clean Harbors

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Clean Harbors by 127.2% in the second quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 15,206 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $3,515,000 after acquiring an additional 8,514 shares in the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Clean Harbors in the second quarter valued at about $242,000. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in Clean Harbors by 18.5% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 40,807 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $9,434,000 after purchasing an additional 6,365 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new position in Clean Harbors during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $741,000. Finally, SG Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clean Harbors during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $20,753,000. 90.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clean Harbors Price Performance

Clean Harbors stock opened at $253.90 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $228.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a current ratio of 2.44. Clean Harbors has a 1 year low of $178.29 and a 1 year high of $254.45. The company has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.21 and a beta of 0.95.

Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The business services provider reported $2.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.37 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.58 billion. Clean Harbors had a return on equity of 14.61% and a net margin of 6.51%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.12 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Clean Harbors will post 7.89 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.