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CLH vs. GFL: Clean Harbors vs. GFL Environmental Stock Comparison

How do Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL) are both classified in the Environmental & Facilities Services sub-industry within the broader Commercial Services & Supplies industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Clean Harbors (CLH) has more than two decades of public-market history since November 24, 1987, whereas GFL Environmental (GFL) listed on March 3, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
Profile ItemCLHGFL
NameClean Harbors, Inc.GFL Environmental Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCommercial & Professional ServicesCommercial & Professional Services
GICS IndustryCommercial Services & SuppliesCommercial Services & Supplies
GICS Sub-IndustryEnvironmental & Facilities ServicesEnvironmental & Facilities Services
Market Capitalization14.98 billion USD16.72 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateNovember 24, 1987March 3, 2020
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CLH
GFL
GSPC
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
Total Return (1Y)38.70%7.30%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)22.86%17.51%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)21.84%3.62%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CLH
GFL
GSPC
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.31%29.80%
Beta (5Y)0.870.66
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.86%-42.75%
Avg. Volume (3M)465.54K3.45M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CLH and GFL are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.360.10
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.090.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

GFL Environmental (GFL) reports a negative ROE of -2.97%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Clean Harbors (CLH) reports 17.93%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

17.93%

Max
47.06%
Q3
25.43%
CLH
17.93%
Median
14.11%
Q1
3.92%
Min
-20.15%

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

-2.97%

Max
47.06%
Q3
25.43%
Median
14.11%
Q1
3.92%
GFL
-2.97%
Min
-20.15%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their ROE against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

GFL Environmental (GFL) reports a negative net margin of -4.28%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Clean Harbors (CLH) reports 8.05%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

8.05%

Max
23.28%
Q3
11.35%
CLH
8.05%
Median
5.65%
Q1
0.87%
Min
-8.60%

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

-4.28%

Max
23.28%
Q3
11.35%
Median
5.65%
Q1
0.87%
GFL
-4.28%
Min
-8.60%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 17.02% and GFL Environmental (GFL) at 9.44% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

17.02%

Max
38.50%
Q3
18.84%
CLH
17.02%
Median
10.40%
Q1
5.59%
Min
-12.00%

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

9.44%

Max
38.50%
Q3
18.84%
Median
10.40%
GFL
9.44%
Q1
5.59%
Min
-12.00%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
ROE (TTM)17.93%-2.97%
ROA (TTM)6.94%1.11%
Net Margin (TTM)8.05%-4.28%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.02%9.44%
Gross Margin (TTM)33.13%19.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 2.39% and GFL Environmental (GFL) at 7.77% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Clean Harbors (CLH) reports EPS growth of -1.89%, ranked against its industry; GFL Environmental (GFL) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.39%7.77%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.29%-0.72%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1.89%--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.25%--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Clean Harbors (CLH) at 1.95 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while GFL Environmental (GFL) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for GFL.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.95

Max
3.63
Q3
2.14
CLH
1.95
Median
1.55
Q1
1.09
Min
0.45

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.93

Max
3.63
Q3
2.14
Median
1.55
Q1
1.09
GFL
0.93
Min
0.45
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 1.08 and GFL Environmental (GFL) at 1.04 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.08

Max
2.37
Q3
1.25
CLH
1.08
Median
0.88
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.04

Max
2.37
Q3
1.25
GFL
1.04
Median
0.88
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.950.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.081.04
Net Debt / EBITDA2.126.75

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Clean Harbors (CLH) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile GFL Environmental (GFL) reports a yield of 0.14%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.00%

Max
4.33%
Q3
1.80%
Median
0.60%
CLH
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.14%

Max
4.33%
Q3
1.80%
Median
0.60%
GFL
0.14%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Clean Harbors (CLH) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile GFL Environmental (GFL) reports a payout of 19.07%, ranking against industry peers normally.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

0.00%

Max
99.58%
Q3
41.99%
Median
17.27%
CLH
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-17.94%

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

19.07%

Max
99.58%
Q3
41.99%
GFL
19.07%
Median
17.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-17.94%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%0.14%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%19.07%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Clean Harbors (CLH) trades at 28.50 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while GFL Environmental (GFL) has no P/E ratio this period.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

28.50

Max
49.47
Q3
33.76
CLH
28.50
Median
24.16
Q1
16.01
Min
1.89

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

--

Max
49.47
Q3
33.76
Median
24.16
Q1
16.01
Min
1.89
GFL
--
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): GFL does not report P/E ratio, so it has no value marker; CLH is benchmarked against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 2.28 and GFL Environmental (GFL) at 2.25 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.28

Max
7.17
Q3
3.35
CLH
2.28
Median
1.33
Q1
0.69
Min
0.11

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.25

Max
7.17
Q3
3.35
GFL
2.25
Median
1.33
Q1
0.69
Min
0.11
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 4.81 and GFL Environmental (GFL) at 2.42 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

CLH

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

4.81

Max
11.25
Q3
6.08
CLH
4.81
Median
2.92
Q1
1.55
Min
-2.78

GFL

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

2.42

Max
11.25
Q3
6.08
Median
2.92
GFL
2.42
Q1
1.55
Min
-2.78
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. GFL Environmental (GFL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and GFL Environmental (GFL)
MetricCLHGFL
P/E Ratio (TTM)28.50--
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.282.25
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.812.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.76%1.55%