Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) Sets New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $252.58 and last traded at $251.7710, with a volume of 164565 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $247.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CLH has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered shares of Clean Harbors from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Clean Harbors in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $263.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Clean Harbors in a research note on Monday, November 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $228.00 price objective for the company. CJS Securities raised Clean Harbors to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Clean Harbors from $253.00 to $230.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $250.08.

Clean Harbors Stock Up 2.6%

The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 2.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.21 and a beta of 0.95. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $228.79 and its 200-day simple moving average is $233.26.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Clean Harbors news, CEO Eric W. Gerstenberg sold 601 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $240.90, for a total transaction of $144,780.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 50,454 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,154,368.60. This represents a 1.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Clean Harbors

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

Clean Harbors Company Profile

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.