Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-29 · Permanent

Clean Harbors Inc logoClean Harbors Inc CLH

Clears both ethical standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Clean Harbors, Inc.

The label
Markup

read at $303.67

Clean Harbors Inc holds its Markup at $303.67.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-29
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateConsolidating, no directional conviction, held for 20 days
Price$303.67
Valuation40.82 trailing · 31.26 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 70.0
Beta0.87

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Read at
$303.67
40.82 P/E · 31.26 fwd
Our fair value
$264.65
13% premium
Analyst target (avg)
$335.00
+10% to current
Target low $305.00Analyst target rangeTarget high $360.00
▲ current $303.67 · | average target

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$381$227$74TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst high$360.00 +25%Analyst avg$335.00 +16%Conservative$264.65 -8%Our fair value$264.65 -8%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$303.67
you are here
Conservative
$264.65
-13%
Analyst avg
$335.00
+10%
Our fair value
$264.65
-13%
Analyst high
$360.00
+19%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Revenue growth1.90%
Profit margin6.53%
Debt to equity116.45
Analyst consensusBuy · 15 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company clears both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✓ PASSES
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. Fail
  • Interest-bearing cash Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. Fail
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. Fail
  • Revenue purity of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. Fail

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Cleanup Business Priced for Faster Growth

Picture every factory spill and oil change across North America eventually needing a truck and a permit. Clean Harbors handles that flow, yet the shares sit 16 percent above our fair value with revenue barely rising 2 percent a year. A 32 times forward earnings multiple on a narrow-moat business that earns a 7 percent profit margin leaves little room for the modest returns on equity the company actually delivers.

We pass for the simple reason that the price already bakes in optimism the numbers do not support. Growth is tepid, the moat is narrow, and the valuation offers no margin of safety despite an ethical screen that clears.

The main risk is that any slowdown in industrial activity quickly hits volumes while the high multiple leaves scant cushion if margins slip. Analysis, not advice.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E31.3x
expensive even after accounting for its growth
Trailing P/E40.8x
expensive — the price assumes strong growth ahead
Revenue growth1.9%
slow but positive growth
Profit margin6.5%
thin but positive margins
Return on equity14.8%
a solid return on shareholder capital
Debt to equity1.16
a meaningful debt load worth watching
Current ratio2.34
comfortably covers its short-term bills
Beta0.87
steadier than the market
Market cap$16.0B
Employees22,155

The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in CLH's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 7.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 11% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 19%. The street (14 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $326. Entered 2026-07-25 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-25 Markup · changed $310.58 +7.9% Entry 4

The framework has shifted from distribution to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 7.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 11% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 19%. The street (14 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $326.

2026-07-18 Distribution $287.78 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 11% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 29%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 19%. The street (14 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $326.

2026-07-03 Distribution $287.78 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Distribution $287.78 Entry 1

The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The political ledger · congressional disclosures

Disclosures naming CLH
DatePoliticianPartyTypeAmount
7 Feb2025 Tim Walberg Republican buy 15K–50K

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $293.45 -1.9% · $982 -1.9%
2 months $302.23 -4.7% · $953 -4.7%
3 months $289.41 -0.5% · $995 -0.5%
6 months $241.70 +19.2% · $1,192 +19.2%
1 year $224.14 +28.5% · $1,285 +28.5%
2 years $215.67 +33.6% · $1,336 +33.6%
3 years $156.38 +84.2% · $1,842 +84.2%
5 years $94.91 +203.5% · $3,035 +203.5%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever CLH does next, these words stay.

Clean Harbors Inc · CLH · Markup · $303.67
Recorded 2026-07-29 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

Get our weekly market brief free.