CLH vs SHC vs WCN Stock Comparison

Clean Harbors, Sotera Health and Waste Connections Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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CLH Clean Harbors Inc
$294.83 -7.5% 1M +41.3% 1Y
Market cap
$15.18B
P/E
28.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.56B
Div. yield
–
Hazardous Waste Industrials
7 wins
SHC Sotera Health Co
$16.03 -12.0% 1M -3.5% 1Y
Market cap
$4.67B
P/E
26.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.23B
Div. yield
–
Diagnostic Labs Healthcare
3 wins
WCN Waste Connections, Inc.
$186.63 +21.4% 1M +12.6% 1Y
Market cap
$48.20B
P/E
42.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.94B
Div. yield
0.01%
Solid Waste Industrials
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Clean Harbors leads on 7 of the 12 questions below (Clean Harbors 7, Sotera Health 3, Waste Connections 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCLHSHCWCNLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $15.18B $4.67B $48.20B WCN
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.7x 26.9x 42.5x SHC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 28.7x 17.4x 34.6x SHC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +10.1% +6.9% +6.3% CLH
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.0% 14.1% 11.4% SHC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 10.9% 9.2% 7.9% CLH
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 3.1x 2.9x CLH
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.01% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +41.3% -3.5% +12.6% CLH
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +22.9%/yr -9.7%/yr +6.5%/yr CLH
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 25.0% 30.4% 25.6% CLH
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 61/100 56/100 CLH

Percentile Scorecard

CLHSHCWCN

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCLHSHCWCN
Valuation 60 #7 of 16 54 #44 of 95 27 #12 of 16
Growth 77 #4 of 14 69 #28 of 88 69 #5 of 14
Profitability 85 #3 of 14 86 #13 of 87 77 #4 of 14
Financial Health 73 #5 of 16 34 #66 of 100 20 #13 of 16
Shareholder Returns 43 #5 of 8 – 86 #2 of 8
Overall 68 61 56
  • CLH ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • SHC ranked among 102 companies in Healthcare Providers
  • WCN ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCLHSHCWCNSPY
1 month -7.5%-12.0%+21.4% -2.0%
3 months -5.1%-11.5%+12.7% -2.2%
6 months -6.0%+4.6%+18.4% +4.2%
Year to date +25.7%-9.1%+6.4% +10.6%
1 year +41.3%-3.5%+12.6% +10.4%
3 years +90.7%+21.3%+40.1% +73.6%
3 years, per year +24.0%+6.7%+11.9% +20.2%
5 years +179.7%-39.8%+37.0% +61.6%
5 years, per year +22.9%-9.7%+6.5% +10.1%
10 years +569.9%—+277.9% +261.3%
10 years, per year +21.0%—+14.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureCLHSHCWCNSPY
Volatility, 1Y 25.0%30.4%25.6% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 25.0%31.1%23.1% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.291.02-0.20 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.65-0.110.49 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -30.9%-78.2%-25.5% -25.4%
From 52-week high -9.9%-18.1%-0.8% -3.2%
52-week high $327.10$19.57$188.09 $779.14
52-week low $201.73$13.13$149.02 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCLHSHCWCN
P/E now vs peer median 29.4xmedian 30.5x 26.4xmedian 24.9x 41.4xmedian 30.5x
P/S now vs peer median 2.4xmedian 3.3x 3.7xmedian 1.6x 4.7xmedian 3.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 13.4xmedian 15.0x 11.5xmedian 15.2x 17.2xmedian 15.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 31.1xmedian 17.8x 33.8xmedian 20.7x 37.4xmedian 17.8x
P/B now vs peer median 5.0xmedian 2.8x 6.2xmedian 3.2x 5.9xmedian 2.8x
PEG now vs peer median 2.03median 2.79 0.72median 0.72 3.49median 2.79

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCLHSHCWCN
Revenue $6.56B $1.23B $9.94B
Gross profit $2.17B $671.74M $4.24B
Operating income $864.39M $413.72M $1.76B
Net income $528.36M $173.47M $1.13B
Free cash flow $500.54M $135.43M $1.25B
EPS (diluted) $9.99 $0.60 $4.50
Cash & equivalents $423.54M $412.38M $95.69M
Total debt $2.89B $2.14B $9.45B
Shares (diluted) 52.90M 289.22M 251.87M
Enterprise value $12.53B $3.24B $47.84B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCLHSHCWCN
P/E 29.4x 26.4x 41.4x
P/FCF 31.1x 33.8x 37.4x
P/Operating cash flow 15.2x 13.8x 18.5x
P/S 2.4x 3.7x 4.7x
P/B 5.0x 6.2x 5.9x
P/Tangible book 6.9x 9.8x 7.9x
EV/EBITDA 13.4x 11.5x 17.2x
EV/EBIT 20.7x 15.2x 31.8x
EV/Revenue 2.7x 5.1x 5.6x
EV/FCF 35.8x 46.5x 44.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 17.6x 19.0x 22.2x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.03 0.72 3.49

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCLHSHCWCN
Revenue growth (1Y) 10.1% 6.9% 6.3%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 7.1% 7.5% 8.2%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 17.2% 4.3% 7.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 10.0% 7.6% 10.2%
Operating income growth (1Y) 32.6% 11.4% 61.8%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 13.4% 21.1% 10.0%
Net income growth (1Y) 36.0% 213.0% 82.2%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 13.4% 36.9% 10.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 38.1% 210.3% 86.3%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.5% 36.6% 11.9%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 25.0% 38.3% 4.2%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 12.1% 59.9% 6.5%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 11.2% 56.4% 1.2%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 17.1% 33.1% 1.8%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCLHSHCWCN
Gross margin 33.1% 54.6% 42.6%
EBITDA margin 20.3% 44.7% 32.9%
Operating margin 13.2% 33.6% 17.7%
Pretax margin 10.9% 22.4% 14.7%
Net margin 8.0% 14.1% 11.4%
FCF margin 7.6% 11.0% 12.6%
Operating cash flow margin 15.5% 27.0% 25.4%
Return on equity 17.5% 24.8% 14.3%
Return on assets 6.6% 5.2% 5.3%
Return on invested capital 10.9% 9.2% 7.9%
Return on capital employed 12.8% 13.2% 9.1%
Asset turnover 0.8x 0.4x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.9x 1.9x 2.2x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 3.0% 0.8%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCLHSHCWCN
Debt / assets 34.9% 63.1% 43.9%
Debt / equity 0.9x 2.9x 1.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.8x 3.1x 2.9x
Debt / FCF 5.8x 15.8x 7.6x
Liabilities / assets 62.4% 78.4% 63.3%
Equity / assets 37.6% 21.6% 36.7%
Interest coverage – – 4.9x
Current ratio 1.9x 3.1x 0.7x
Quick ratio 1.6x 2.7x 0.6x
Cash ratio 0.4x 1.8x 0.0x
Altman Z-score 3.66 1.81 3.13

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCLHSHCWCN
Dividend yield – – 0.8%
Net buyback yield 1.3% – 2.1%
Shareholder yield 1.3% – 2.9%
Payout ratio (earnings) – – 31.4%
Payout ratio (FCF) – – 28.4%
Dividend growth (1Y) – – 9.4%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – 10.7%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCLHSHCWCN
Forward P/E 28.7xFY2026 17.4xFY2026 34.6xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $10.29FY2026 $0.92FY2026 $5.40FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +41.3%FY2026 +7.0%FY2026 +5.9%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +5.3% +21.7% +18.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $6.28BFY2026 $1.33BFY2026 $10.30BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +4.1%FY2026 +14.8%FY2026 +10.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +15.7% -4.2% 0.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCLHSHCWCN
Held by institutions 93.5% 100.0% 85.2%
Institutions holding 660 316 832
Change in shares held, QoQ 0.0% +5.9% +1.3%
Institutions buying 308 220 413
Institutions selling 246 64 303
Buyers to sellers 1.25 3.44 1.36

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CLHSHCWCN
CLH 1.00 0.18 0.37
SHC 0.18 1.00 0.14
WCN 0.37 0.14 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CLH, SHC and WCN?

Waste Connections (WCN) is the largest by market capitalisation: Clean Harbors (CLH) $15.18B, Sotera Health (SHC) $4.67B, Waste Connections (WCN) $48.20B.

Which stock is cheaper, CLH, SHC and WCN?

Sotera Health (SHC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Clean Harbors (CLH) 28.7x, Sotera Health (SHC) 26.9x, Waste Connections (WCN) 42.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Sotera Health (SHC) is cheapest (Clean Harbors (CLH) 28.7x, Sotera Health (SHC) 17.4x, Waste Connections (WCN) 34.6x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Clean Harbors (CLH) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Clean Harbors (CLH) +10.1%, Sotera Health (SHC) +6.9%, Waste Connections (WCN) +6.3%.

Which company is more profitable?

Sotera Health (SHC) has the highest net margin (Clean Harbors (CLH) 8.0%, Sotera Health (SHC) 14.1%, Waste Connections (WCN) 11.4%). On return on invested capital, Clean Harbors (CLH) leads (Clean Harbors (CLH) 10.9%, Sotera Health (SHC) 9.2%, Waste Connections (WCN) 7.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Clean Harbors (CLH) returned the most: Clean Harbors (CLH) +41.3%, Sotera Health (SHC) -3.5%, Waste Connections (WCN) +12.6%. Over five years, Clean Harbors (CLH) compounded fastest (Clean Harbors (CLH) +22.9%/yr, Sotera Health (SHC) -9.7%/yr, Waste Connections (WCN) +6.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Clean Harbors (CLH) 0.00%, Sotera Health (SHC) 0.00%, Waste Connections (WCN) 0.01%. Clean Harbors (CLH) and Sotera Health (SHC) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Clean Harbors (CLH) has been the steadiest (Clean Harbors (CLH) 25.0%, Sotera Health (SHC) 30.4%, Waste Connections (WCN) 25.6%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CLH, SHC and WCN?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Clean Harbors (CLH) leads on 7. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.