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Side-by-side financial comparison of CLEAN HARBORS INC (CLH) and Waters Corporation (WAT). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

CLEAN HARBORS INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($1.5B vs $932.4M, roughly 1.6× Waters Corporation). Waters Corporation runs the higher net margin — 24.2% vs 5.8%, a 18.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Waters Corporation posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (6.8% vs 4.8%). Over the past eight quarters, Waters Corporation's revenue compounded faster (21.0% CAGR vs 4.4%).

Clean Harbors, Inc., headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts, is a provider of waste management and industrial services for commercial customers, specializing in the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste, but also offering services for non-hazardous waste. The company has 870 operating locations in 630 properties in the U.S. and Canada including a network of over 100 waste disposal facilities such as incinerators, landfills, treatment, storage and disposal faci...

Waters Corporation is an American company headquartered in Milford, Massachusetts that provides analytical instruments and software used for chromatography, mass spectrometry, laboratory informatics, and rheometry by the life sciences, materials, and food industries.

CLH vs WAT — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CLH
CLH
1.6× larger
CLH
$1.5B
$932.4M
WAT
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
WAT
WAT
+2.0% gap
WAT
6.8%
4.8%
CLH
Higher net margin
WAT
WAT
18.4% more per $
WAT
24.2%
5.8%
CLH
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
WAT
WAT
Annualised
WAT
21.0%
4.4%
CLH

Income Statement — Q4 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Revenue
$1.5B
$932.4M
Net Profit
$86.6M
$225.2M
Gross Margin
30.6%
61.1%
Operating Margin
10.6%
29.0%
Net Margin
5.8%
24.2%
Revenue YoY
4.8%
6.8%
Net Profit YoY
3.1%
-2.7%
EPS (diluted)
$1.62
$3.76

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$1.5B
$932.4M
Q3 25
$1.5B
$799.9M
Q2 25
$1.5B
$771.3M
Q1 25
$1.4B
$661.7M
Q4 24
$1.4B
$872.7M
Q3 24
$1.5B
$740.3M
Q2 24
$1.6B
$708.5M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$636.8M
Net Profit
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$86.6M
$225.2M
Q3 25
$118.8M
$148.9M
Q2 25
$126.9M
$147.1M
Q1 25
$58.7M
$121.4M
Q4 24
$84.0M
$231.4M
Q3 24
$115.2M
$161.5M
Q2 24
$133.3M
$142.7M
Q1 24
$69.8M
$102.2M
Gross Margin
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
30.6%
61.1%
Q3 25
32.3%
59.0%
Q2 25
33.3%
58.3%
Q1 25
28.6%
58.2%
Q4 24
29.9%
60.1%
Q3 24
31.0%
59.3%
Q2 24
33.3%
59.3%
Q1 24
29.5%
58.9%
Operating Margin
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
10.6%
29.0%
Q3 25
12.5%
24.0%
Q2 25
13.6%
24.4%
Q1 25
7.8%
22.9%
Q4 24
9.6%
33.5%
Q3 24
12.6%
28.5%
Q2 24
13.9%
26.7%
Q1 24
9.1%
21.0%
Net Margin
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
5.8%
24.2%
Q3 25
7.7%
18.6%
Q2 25
8.2%
19.1%
Q1 25
4.1%
18.3%
Q4 24
5.9%
26.5%
Q3 24
7.5%
21.8%
Q2 24
8.6%
20.1%
Q1 24
5.1%
16.0%
EPS (diluted)
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$1.62
$3.76
Q3 25
$2.21
$2.50
Q2 25
$2.36
$2.47
Q1 25
$1.09
$2.03
Q4 24
$1.55
$3.88
Q3 24
$2.12
$2.71
Q2 24
$2.46
$2.40
Q1 24
$1.29
$1.72

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$127.4M
$587.8M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$1.4B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.7B
$2.6B
Total Assets
$7.6B
$5.1B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.55×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$127.4M
$587.8M
Q3 25
$91.2M
$459.1M
Q2 25
$98.9M
$367.2M
Q1 25
$105.9M
$382.9M
Q4 24
$102.6M
$325.4M
Q3 24
$82.4M
$331.5M
Q2 24
$91.3M
$327.4M
Q1 24
$104.8M
$338.2M
Total Debt
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$1.4B
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
$1.6B
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
Stockholders' Equity
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$2.7B
$2.6B
Q3 25
$2.8B
$2.3B
Q2 25
$2.7B
$2.2B
Q1 25
$2.6B
$2.0B
Q4 24
$2.6B
$1.8B
Q3 24
$2.5B
$1.6B
Q2 24
$2.4B
$1.4B
Q1 24
$2.3B
$1.3B
Total Assets
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$7.6B
$5.1B
Q3 25
$7.5B
$4.9B
Q2 25
$7.4B
$4.7B
Q1 25
$7.2B
$4.6B
Q4 24
$7.4B
$4.6B
Q3 24
$7.3B
$4.5B
Q2 24
$7.1B
$4.4B
Q1 24
$6.9B
$4.5B
Debt / Equity
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
0.55×
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
0.89×
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$355.1M
$164.6M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$233.3M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
15.6%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
8.1%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
4.10×
0.73×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$441.8M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$355.1M
$164.6M
Q3 25
$302.0M
$187.3M
Q2 25
$208.0M
$41.1M
Q1 25
$1.6M
$259.6M
Q4 24
$303.9M
$240.1M
Q3 24
$239.2M
$204.6M
Q2 24
$216.0M
$54.5M
Q1 24
$18.5M
$262.9M
Free Cash Flow
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
$233.3M
Q3 25
$207.5M
Q2 25
$118.0M
Q1 25
$-117.1M
Q4 24
$241.5M
Q3 24
$142.4M
Q2 24
$80.9M
Q1 24
$-119.4M
FCF Margin
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
15.6%
Q3 25
13.4%
Q2 25
7.6%
Q1 25
-8.2%
Q4 24
16.9%
Q3 24
9.3%
Q2 24
5.2%
Q1 24
-8.7%
Capex Intensity
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
8.1%
Q3 25
6.1%
Q2 25
5.8%
Q1 25
8.3%
Q4 24
4.4%
Q3 24
6.3%
Q2 24
8.7%
Q1 24
10.0%
Cash Conversion
CLH
CLH
WAT
WAT
Q4 25
4.10×
0.73×
Q3 25
2.54×
1.26×
Q2 25
1.64×
0.28×
Q1 25
0.03×
2.14×
Q4 24
3.62×
1.04×
Q3 24
2.08×
1.27×
Q2 24
1.62×
0.38×
Q1 24
0.27×
2.57×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

CLH
CLH

Technical Services$479.3M32%
Safetly Kleen Environmental Services$252.9M17%
Fieldand Emergency Response$246.6M16%
Products$205.3M14%
Safety Kleen Sustainability Solutions Segment$188.4M13%
Safety Kleen Oil$132.6M9%

WAT
WAT

Segment breakdown not available.

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