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CLH vs. PAYX: Clean Harbors vs. Paychex Stock Comparison

How do Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX) 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 Paychex (PAYX) both fall under the Commercial & Professional Services industry group, but CLH is classified in Commercial Services & Supplies while PAYX is classified in Professional Services.

Company profile comparison for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
Profile ItemCLHPAYX
NameClean Harbors, Inc.Paychex Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCommercial & Professional ServicesCommercial & Professional Services
GICS IndustryCommercial Services & SuppliesProfessional Services
GICS Sub-IndustryEnvironmental & Facilities ServicesHuman Resource & Employment Services
Market Capitalization14.98 billion USD41.67 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateNovember 24, 1987August 26, 1983
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

CLH
PAYX
GSPC
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX), 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 Paychex (PAYX). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
Total Return (1Y)38.70%7.76%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)22.86%4.26%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)21.84%1.96%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

CLH
PAYX
GSPC
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX), 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 Paychex (PAYX). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)25.31%30.84%
Beta (5Y)0.870.79
Max Drawdown (5Y)-30.86%-44.95%
Avg. Volume (3M)465.54K2.88M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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CLH and PAYX 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 Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)1.360.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)2.090.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 47.06% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Clean Harbors (CLH) at 17.93% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for PAYX.

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%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

47.06%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 27.35% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Clean Harbors (CLH) at 8.05% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

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%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

27.35%

PAYX
27.35%
Max
23.28%
Q3
11.35%
Median
5.65%
Q1
0.87%
Min
-8.60%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their net margin against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Paychex (PAYX) at 38.50% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Clean Harbors (CLH) at 17.02%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

38.50%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
ROE (TTM)17.93%47.06%
ROA (TTM)6.94%10.19%
Net Margin (TTM)8.05%27.35%
Operating Margin (TTM)17.02%38.50%
Gross Margin (TTM)33.13%74.39%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Paychex (PAYX) at 16.88% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Clean Harbors (CLH) at 2.39% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for PAYX.

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

EPS Growth

Both Clean Harbors (CLH) at -1.89% and Paychex (PAYX) at 6.77% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
Revenue Growth (YoY)2.39%16.88%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)5.29%9.15%
EPS Growth (YoY)-1.89%6.77%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-1.25%4.38%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 1.95 and Paychex (PAYX) at 1.28 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

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

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.28

Max
3.63
Q3
2.14
Median
1.55
PAYX
1.28
Q1
1.09
Min
0.45
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): 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 Paychex (PAYX) at 1.25 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

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

1.25

Max
2.37
Q3
1.25
PAYX
1.25
Median
0.88
Q1
0.35
Min
0.00
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): 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 Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.951.28
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.081.25
Net Debt / EBITDA2.121.20

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 Paychex (PAYX) reports a yield of 3.80%, 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%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

3.80%

Max
4.33%
PAYX
3.80%
Q3
1.80%
Median
0.60%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): 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 Paychex (PAYX) reports a payout of 90.08%, 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%

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

90.08%

Max
99.58%
PAYX
90.08%
Q3
41.99%
Median
17.27%
Q1
0.00%
Min
-17.94%
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.00%3.80%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)0.00%90.08%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Clean Harbors (CLH) at 28.50 and Paychex (PAYX) at 23.23 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

23.23

Max
49.47
Q3
33.76
Median
24.16
PAYX
23.23
Q1
16.01
Min
1.89
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Clean Harbors (CLH) at 2.28 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Paychex (PAYX) at 6.31 sits in the pricier quartile — PAYX costs more per dollar of sales.

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

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

6.31

Max
7.17
PAYX
6.31
Q3
3.35
Median
1.33
Q1
0.69
Min
0.11
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Clean Harbors (CLH) vs. Paychex (PAYX): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Commercial & Professional Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Clean Harbors (CLH) at 4.81 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Paychex (PAYX) at 11.25 carries an above-peer premium to book — PAYX is pricier on assets.

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

PAYX

Commercial & Professional Services industry group

11.25

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Clean Harbors (CLH) and Paychex (PAYX)
MetricCLHPAYX
P/E Ratio (TTM)28.5023.23
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.286.31
P/B Ratio (MRQ)4.8111.25
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.76%4.53%