VLO vs CLH vs SOBO Stock Comparison

Valero Energy, Clean Harbors and South Bow Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
VLO Valero Energy Corp/Tx
$419.16 +11.5% 1M +142.1% 1Y
Market cap
$125.25B
P/E
17.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$139.40B
Div. yield
0.01%
Oil Refining Energy
7 wins
CLH Clean Harbors Inc
$318.70 +1.8% 1M +30.8% 1Y
Market cap
$16.74B
P/E
38.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.24B
Div. yield
–
Hazardous Waste Industrials
1 win
SOBO South Bow Corp
$35.41 +3.0% 1M +34.5% 1Y
Market cap
$7.42B
P/E
16.1x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.00B
Div. yield
–
Oil and Gas Pipelines Energy
3 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

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

QuestionVLOCLHSOBOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $125.25B $16.74B $7.42B VLO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.4x 38.1x 16.1x SOBO
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.4x 31.1x 18.8x VLO
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.6% +5.1% -2.1% VLO
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.2% 7.0% 23.0% SOBO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 19.8% 9.7% 9.2% VLO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 1.9x 4.4x VLO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +142.1% +30.8% +34.5% VLO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +39.0%/yr +22.7%/yr — VLO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.6% 27.9% 22.7% SOBO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 66/100 58/100 CLH

Percentile Scorecard

VLOCLHSOBO

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

AxisVLOCLHSOBO
Valuation 18 #19 of 23 60 #7 of 16 65 #13 of 35
Growth 67 #7 of 19 54 #7 of 14 55 #16 of 34
Profitability 78 #5 of 19 77 #4 of 14 67 #12 of 34
Financial Health 88 #4 of 25 80 #4 of 16 50 #18 of 35
Shareholder Returns 59 #8 of 18 57 #4 of 8 53 #15 of 31
Overall 62 66 58
  • VLO ranked among 25 companies in Refining and Marketing
  • CLH ranked among 16 companies in Waste Management
  • SOBO ranked among 35 companies in Oil and Gas Midstream

Price Performance

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

Returns

PeriodVLOCLHSOBOSPY
1 month +11.5%+1.8%+3.0% -1.0%
3 months +38.6%+4.9%-8.0% +2.9%
6 months +77.7%+3.1%+10.7% +6.4%
Year to date +157.5%+35.9%+28.9% +11.4%
1 year +142.1%+30.8%+34.5% +13.1%
3 years +225.4%+105.0%— +79.4%
3 years, per year +48.2%+27.1%— +21.5%
5 years +417.5%+177.7%— +67.7%
5 years, per year +39.0%+22.7%— +10.9%
10 years +651.7%+603.7%— +255.2%
10 years, per year +22.4%+21.5%— +13.5%

Risk

MeasureVLOCLHSOBOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.6%27.9%22.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.4%31.1%22.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.370.26-0.21 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 3.781.111.52 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.9%-30.9%-20.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.8%-2.6%-8.5% -2.5%
52-week high $459.67$327.10$38.69 $779.14
52-week low $161.94$201.73$25.26 $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.

MultipleVLOCLHSOBO
P/E now vs peer median 17.1xmedian 10.4x 38.3xmedian 33.8x 16.0xmedian 21.3x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.3x 2.7xmedian 3.4x 3.7xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.4xmedian 7.1x 15.9xmedian 15.8x 10.9xmedian 11.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 9.4x 36.4xmedian 18.4x 11.5xmedian 16.4x
P/B now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 1.9x 5.7xmedian 3.1x 2.8xmedian 2.6x
PEG now vs peer median -2.42median 0.30 10.77median 4.14 —median 1.93

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 monthsVLOCLHSOBO
Revenue $139.40B $6.24B $2.00B
Gross profit $11.20B $2.01B $1.72B
Operating income $10.01B $739.29M –
Net income $7.62B $439.05M $460.00M
Free cash flow $10.08B $461.72M $640.00M
EPS (diluted) $24.53 $8.29 $2.20
Cash & equivalents $7.87B $408.36M $726.00M
Total debt $44.07B $2.77B $5.73B
Shares (diluted) 294.00M 52.96M 208.80M
Enterprise value $102.19B $13.75B $5.05B

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
MetricVLOCLHSOBO
P/E 17.1x 38.3x 16.0x
P/FCF 12.0x 36.4x 11.5x
P/Operating cash flow 11.1x 18.6x 8.8x
P/S 0.9x 2.7x 3.7x
P/B 4.3x 5.7x 2.8x
P/Tangible book 4.3x 7.7x 2.8x
EV/EBITDA 9.4x 15.9x 10.9x
EV/EBIT 12.4x 25.8x 13.9x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 3.1x 6.2x
EV/FCF 12.3x 41.3x 19.3x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.4x 21.1x 14.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.42 10.77 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricVLOCLHSOBO
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.6% 5.1% -2.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -3.9% 5.3% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) 256.7% 10.2% 1.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -11.2% 6.5% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 951.6% 13.5% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -12.4% 4.5% –
Net income growth (1Y) 838.9% 14.1% 53.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -12.6% 2.6% –
EPS growth (1Y) 901.8% 15.9% 134.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -7.1% 3.6% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 156.5% 19.9% 30.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.3% 7.3% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 222.7% 20.0% 14.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 2.4% 12.0% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricVLOCLHSOBO
Gross margin 8.0% 32.3% 85.8%
EBITDA margin 9.5% 19.2% 56.9%
Operating margin 7.2% 11.8% –
Pretax margin 7.1% 9.6% 27.8%
Net margin 5.2% 7.0% 23.0%
FCF margin 7.2% 7.4% 32.0%
Operating cash flow margin 7.8% 14.5% 41.9%
Return on equity 27.6% 15.4% 17.3%
Return on assets 12.0% 5.7% 4.1%
Return on invested capital 19.8% 9.7% 9.2%
Return on capital employed 22.4% 11.3% 9.1%
Asset turnover 2.2x 0.8x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 2.1x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue – 0.7% –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricVLOCLHSOBO
Debt / assets 17.6% 35.4% 50.4%
Debt / equity 0.4x 0.9x 2.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 1.9x 4.4x
Debt / FCF 1.1x 6.0x 9.0x
Liabilities / assets 56.3% 62.6% 76.6%
Equity / assets 43.7% 37.4% 23.4%
Interest coverage 17.8x – 2.7x
Current ratio 1.6x 2.1x 1.5x
Quick ratio 1.2x 1.7x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.4x 0.4x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 6.01 3.90 1.02

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricVLOCLHSOBO
Dividend yield 1.1% – 5.6%
Net buyback yield 4.0% 1.4% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 5.1% 1.4% 5.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 18.5% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 14.0% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.3% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -2.2% – –

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.

ConsensusVLOCLHSOBO
Forward P/E 8.4xFY2026 31.1xFY2026 18.8xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $49.71FY2026 $10.26FY2026 $1.88FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +368.5%FY2026 +40.9%FY2026 -4.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -10.4% +4.8% +5.3%
Revenue, next fiscal year $172.89BFY2026 $6.27BFY2026 $2.07BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +40.9%FY2026 +4.0%FY2026 +4.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -21.1% +15.5% +3.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersVLOCLHSOBO
Held by institutions 83.6% 93.5% 62.0%
Institutions holding 1,967 658 305
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.5% 0.0% -2.3%
Institutions buying 950 306 126
Institutions selling 709 246 92
Buyers to sellers 1.34 1.24 1.37

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.

VLOCLHSOBO
VLO 1.00 0.10 0.28
CLH 0.10 1.00 0.12
SOBO 0.28 0.12 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, VLO, CLH and SOBO?

Valero Energy (VLO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Valero Energy (VLO) $125.25B, Clean Harbors (CLH) $16.74B, South Bow (SOBO) $7.42B.

Which stock is cheaper, VLO, CLH and SOBO?

South Bow (SOBO) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Valero Energy (VLO) 17.4x, Clean Harbors (CLH) 38.1x, South Bow (SOBO) 16.1x). On next year's consensus earnings, Valero Energy (VLO) is cheapest (Valero Energy (VLO) 8.4x, Clean Harbors (CLH) 31.1x, South Bow (SOBO) 18.8x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Valero Energy (VLO) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Valero Energy (VLO) +12.6%, Clean Harbors (CLH) +5.1%, South Bow (SOBO) -2.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

South Bow (SOBO) has the highest net margin (Valero Energy (VLO) 5.2%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 7.0%, South Bow (SOBO) 23.0%). On return on invested capital, Valero Energy (VLO) leads (Valero Energy (VLO) 19.8%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 9.7%, South Bow (SOBO) 9.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Valero Energy (VLO) returned the most: Valero Energy (VLO) +142.1%, Clean Harbors (CLH) +30.8%, South Bow (SOBO) +34.5%. Over five years, Valero Energy (VLO) compounded fastest (Valero Energy (VLO) +39.0%/yr, Clean Harbors (CLH) +22.7%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Valero Energy (VLO) 0.01%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 0.00%, South Bow (SOBO) 0.00%. Clean Harbors (CLH) and South Bow (SOBO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, South Bow (SOBO) has been the steadiest (Valero Energy (VLO) 37.6%, Clean Harbors (CLH) 27.9%, South Bow (SOBO) 22.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, VLO, CLH and SOBO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Valero Energy (VLO) 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.