Should I Buy CLH? CLH 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Clean Harbors Inc (CLH) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

265.980

1 Day change

1.45%

52 Week Range

268.220

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/04

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Not a good buy right now for an impatient buyer: price (~260) is near a pivot and close to resistance (263–266) while options positioning is defensively skewed (puts dominate).
Trend is broadly bullish (moving averages stacked up), but momentum is currently soft (MACD below zero) and pattern-based stats imply mild downside drift over the next day/week/month.
Event risk is near-term: earnings (QDEC 2025) on 2026-02-18 pre-market can easily move the stock, and the current options skew suggests the market is hedging to the downside.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- AI Stock Picker: no signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock recently.

Technical Analysis

Trend/structure: Bullish moving average stack (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) supports the broader uptrend.
Momentum: MACD histogram -0.679 (below 0) but negatively contracting → bearish momentum is easing, yet not a fresh bullish trigger.
RSI: RSI_6 62.6 (neutral-to-slightly-warm) → not oversold; limited “urgent dip-buy” edge.
Key levels: Pivot 259.66 (price ~260.4 hovering just above). Resistance 263.42 (R1) then 265.74 (R2). Support 255.91 (S1) then 253.59 (S2).
Short-term expectancy (pattern-based): ~60% chance of modest weakness (about -1.6% next day, -1.1% next week, -2.4% next month) → not ideal for an immediate chase entry.

Options Data

Bearish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Positioning: Put open interest 1406 vs call open interest 521 → OI put/call 2.7, signaling defensive sentiment/hedging demand.
Activity: Very light volume (total ~10; calls 0 / puts 10) but volume vs 30D avg is elevated; still, the tape is not showing strong call buying.
Volatility: IV30 55.5 vs historical vol 43.4 → options priced rich; market implies meaningful move into earnings.
IV percentile/rank: mid-range (IV percentile 44.4, IV rank 24.3) → not extreme, but the skew (puts) is the key message.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Upcoming catalysts discussed by bulls (from analysts): potential constructive PFAS disposal guidance, deployment of cash for M&A, and broader industrial recovery tailwinds.
- Hedge fund flow: “Hedge Funds are Buying,” with buying amount up ~883% QoQ (supportive demand signal).
- Earnings catalyst: QDEC 2025 earnings on 2026-02-18 (pre-market) could re-rate the stock higher if margins/volume surprise positively.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Options market skew is defensive (high put OI) → suggests elevated downside hedging ahead of earnings.
- Several major firms remain Neutral/Equal Weight and some price targets sit below the current price (e.g., Goldman 253, Wells 248), implying limited near-term upside consensus at today’s level.
- Short-term technical momentum is not cleanly bullish yet (MACD below zero) and pattern-based probabilities point to mild downside drift.
- No insider accumulation signal: insiders are Neutral (no notable supportive buying trend).

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3.
Revenue: $1.549B, +1.3% YoY (steady but not fast growth).
Net income: $118.8M, +3.1% YoY (profit growth modestly ahead of revenue).
EPS: $2.21, +4.25% YoY (incremental improvement).
Gross margin: 24.92%, up ~1.96% YoY (margin trend positive).
Overall: fundamentals are improving gradually (margin/EPS), but growth is not accelerating sharply.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: broad wave of price target raises from mid-Jan to early Feb (Citi 274, Oppenheimer 283, Needham 290, Goldman 253, Wells 248), indicating improving sector/valuation backdrop.
Rating mix: split—bullish firms (Needham Buy, Oppenheimer Outperform) vs cautious majors (Goldman Neutral, Citi Neutral, Wells Equal Weight).
Wall Street pros: strong hazardous waste positioning, potential 2026 catalysts (PFAS/M&A), and margin improvement.
Wall Street cons: valuation/near-term demand uncertainty cited by neutrals; several targets below spot price suggest the stock may be ahead of conservative expectations at ~260.

10 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast CLH stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for CLH is 246.82 USD with a low forecast of 220 USD and a high forecast of 275 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

5 Buy

5 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 262.190

Low

220

Averages

246.82

High

275

Current: 262.190

Low

220

Averages

246.82

High

275

Goldman Sachs

Neutral

maintain

$228 -> $253

AI Analysis

2026-02-02

Reason

Goldman Sachs

Price Target

$228 -> $253

AI Analysis

2026-02-02

maintain

Neutral

Reason

Goldman Sachs raised the firm's price target on Clean Harbors to $253 from $228 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares.

Oppenheimer

Noah Kaye

Outperform

maintain

$237 -> $283

2026-01-23

Reason

Oppenheimer

Noah Kaye

Price Target

$237 -> $283

2026-01-23

maintain

Outperform

Reason

Oppenheimer analyst Noah Kaye raised the firm's price target on Clean Harbors to $283 from $237 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm notes shares of Clean Harbors have rerated over the past month, with valuation receiving support from recent industry M&A and broader cyclical rotation. Oppenheimer sees fundamental catalysts as a more likely driver to support shares from here. To this, multiple potential catalysts present for 2026, including constructive PFAS disposal guidance, deployment of dry powder for M&A, and broader industrial recovery as upside to initial conservative outlook.

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CLH Should I Buy

CLH Should I Buy

Should You Buy Clean Harbors Inc (CLH) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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