Thesis

Street consensus, scenarios, merits, risks, and invalidation triggers

AI-assisted
Thesis Summary

Clean Harbors entered the second half of 2026 with strong operating momentum: second-quarter revenue increased 12%, adjusted EBITDA increased 22%, adjusted EBITDA margin reached 23.6%, and management materially raised full-year guidance. Environmental Services continued to benefit from disposal demand, PFAS activity, remediation work and high incinerator utilization, while Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions benefited from favorable product pricing. The ten-year disposal contract and pending EnviroServe acquisition strengthen the growth runway, but they also increase execution and integration demands.

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This section is the 12-month view: analyst targets and the probability-weighted scenarios built from them. The intrinsic value at the top of this page answers a different question: what the business is worth today.
Street view · analyst 12-month targets15 analysts · as of 18 Aug 2026
Low · most bearish analyst$325.00
Mean target$359.93
High · most bullish analyst$390.00
Street targets sit above today's price; our intrinsic value sits below it. Different horizons, different questions.
Our research · scenarios, merits, risks, and invalidation triggersResearch as of 2 Sep 2026
Scenarios · 12-month scenario targetsAnchored at research date
Bear CaseDownside scenario
$325.0020%

The bear case would emerge if adjusted EBITDA or adjusted free cash flow falls below the lower ends of management's ranges. Potential causes include normalization of favorable re-refined-product pricing, weaker industrial activity, lower disposal-network utilization, acquisition integration problems, higher financing requirements or an adverse safety or environmental event.

Base CaseCentral scenario
$359.9355%
Matches the consensus mean

The base case assumes 2026 adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow remain within management's raised ranges, Environmental Services continues to offset variability in Safety-Kleen product pricing, and the pending acquisitions close and integrate without material disruption. The strong second-quarter performance supports this outcome, although acquisition spending and commodity-sensitive re-refining economics warrant a balanced stance.

Bull CaseUpside scenario
$390.0025%

The bull case requires results near or above the upper ends of the 2026 adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow ranges. Sustained PFAS and remediation demand, continued incineration utilization near second-quarter levels, the new ten-year disposal contract and successful integration of EnviroServe could extend Environmental Services margin expansion and support durable cash generation.

Scenarios are anchored to street consensus at the research date, with our probabilities and rationale.

Key Investment Merits
  • Second-quarter 2026 revenue increased 12% and adjusted EBITDA increased 22%, lifting adjusted EBITDA margin to 23.6%.
  • Environmental Services produced its seventeenth consecutive quarter of year-over-year adjusted EBITDA margin expansion, with 91% incineration utilization and 7% landfill-volume growth.
  • Management raised 2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance to $1.35-$1.41 billion and adjusted free cash flow guidance to $520-$580 million; a new ten-year disposal contract has an estimated value of $600 million.
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Key Investment Risks
  • Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions benefited from global supply disruptions and higher pricing for re-refined products, making part of the second-quarter improvement potentially cyclical.
  • The proposed $470 million EnviroServe acquisition is expected to use available cash and additional debt, creating closing, financing and integration risk alongside other 2026 acquisitions.
  • Hazardous-waste operations carry material safety, environmental, regulatory and litigation exposure, while management also identifies sensitivity to economic conditions, oil-product demand and industrial spending.
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All scenarios are estimates and subject to change. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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AI-assisted, source-linked narrative; figures from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market data. Dates shown per section. Not investment advice. Terms of Use.