Analysts Set Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH) Target Price at $299.27

Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE:CLH) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $299.2727.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Clean Harbors from $228.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Clean Harbors from $230.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Clean Harbors from $291.00 to $309.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Needham & Company LLC increased their price target on shares of Clean Harbors from $290.00 to $308.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Clean Harbors from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th.

Clean Harbors Stock Performance

Shares of CLH opened at $286.56 on Friday. Clean Harbors has a 1 year low of $178.29 and a 1 year high of $298.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a current ratio of 2.33 and a quick ratio of 2.00. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $277.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $248.76. The firm has a market cap of $15.16 billion, a PE ratio of 39.36 and a beta of 0.93.

Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $1.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.59 by $0.03. Clean Harbors had a net margin of 6.48% and a return on equity of 14.47%. The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.55 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Clean Harbors will post 7.89 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Clean Harbors news, CFO Eric J. Dugas sold 2,788 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $281.31, for a total value of $784,292.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 15,933 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,482,112.23. This trade represents a 14.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Eric W. Gerstenberg sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $293.00, for a total value of $293,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 38,877 shares in the company, valued at $11,390,961. The trade was a 2.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,597 shares of company stock valued at $3,895,286. Company insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clean Harbors

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Clean Harbors during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $152,195,000. Durable Capital Partners LP purchased a new stake in shares of Clean Harbors in the third quarter worth $133,217,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Clean Harbors by 120.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,040,594 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $246,725,000 after acquiring an additional 569,388 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its holdings in shares of Clean Harbors by 148.3% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 384,494 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $89,287,000 after acquiring an additional 229,666 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in shares of Clean Harbors by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 2,376,088 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $557,146,000 after purchasing an additional 215,659 shares during the last quarter. 90.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.