Clean Harbors Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2024 Financial Results

• Posts 7% Increase in Q4 Revenues to $1.43 Billion; Full-Year Revenues of $5.89 Billion, Driven by 11% Growth in Environmental Services Segment
• Generates Q4 Net Income of $84.0 Million, or EPS of $1.55; Full-Year Net Income of $402.3 Million, or EPS of $7.42
• Achieves Q4 Adjusted EBITDA of $257.2 Million; Full-Year Adjusted EBITDA of $1.12 Billion
• Commercially Launches State-of-the-Art Incinerator in Kimball, Nebraska
• Delivers Full-Year Net Cash from Operating Activities of $777.8 Million and Adjusted Free Cash Flow of $357.9 Million
• Provides Full-Year 2025 Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow Guidance

Clean Harbors, Inc. (“Clean Harbors” or the “Company”) (NYSE: CLH), the leading provider of environmental and industrial services throughout North America, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2024.

“Our fourth-quarter results were in line with our expectations as our Environmental Services (ES) segment capped a record 2024 with a robust performance, including the 11^th consecutive quarter of year-over-year margin growth,” said Mike Battles, Co-Chief Executive Officer. “The segment benefited from steady demand, strong waste collection volumes, a healthy flow of project work and favorable pricing. For the full year the segment saw 11% top-line growth and annual Adjusted EBITDA margin exceeded 25%. We maintained a strong focus on safety and continuous improvement in the quarter, which contributed to a Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) that enabled us to surpass our 2024 goal.”

Fourth-Quarter 2024 Results

Revenues grew 7% to $1.43 billion, compared with $1.34 billion in the same period of 2023. Income from operations was $137.0 million, compared with $147.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Net income was $84.0 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, compared with $98.3 million, or $1.81 per diluted share, for the same period in 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA (see description and reconciliation below) was $257.2 million, compared with $254.9 million in the same period of 2023.

Q4 2024 Segment Review

“Our ES segment achieved a 9% growth in revenue and 11% growth in Adjusted EBITDA,” said Eric Gerstenberg, Co-Chief Executive Officer. “Our Adjusted EBITDA margin in the segment increased by 50 basis points. Top-line growth in the segment was again led by our Field Services operations. Field Services revenue increased 47% from the prior-year period, reflecting the HEPACO acquisition and healthy organic growth in our legacy business. Technical Services revenue grew 8% on strength in our network. Incineration utilization was an outstanding 94% for the quarter, up from 85% in the same period a year ago. Safety-Kleen Environmental Services delivered 6% revenue growth in the ES segment.”

“Results in our Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions (SKSS) segment reflected ongoing challenges in the U.S. base oil and lubricants market, as revenues declined 5% and profitability was down from the same period in 2023,” said Battles. “In response to the weakening market conditions and pricing pressure, we took aggressive action in mid-November by shifting customers to a charge-for-oil (CFO) position. These actions, along with cost-cutting initiatives, were designed to help offset the weaker pricing conditions that have persisted.”

2024 Financial Results

Revenues for 2024 increased 9% to $5.89 billion, compared with $5.41 billion in 2023. Income from operations increased 9% to $670.2 million, compared with $612.4 million in 2023.

Net income was $402.3 million, or $7.42 per diluted share, compared with net income of $377.9 million, or $6.95 per diluted share for 2023. (See reconciliation table below).

Adjusted EBITDA (see description below) grew 10% to $1.12 billion from $1.01 billion in 2023. The Company generated adjusted free cash flow (see description and reconciliation below) of $357.9 million in 2024, compared with $321.9 million in 2023. The increase is attributable to greater earnings and some improvements in working capital management which offset higher net capital expenditures.

“2024 was another exceptional year for the Company, particularly in our ES segment where we saw the continuation of a multi-year profitable growth trend and record financial performance,” Gerstenberg said. “Adjusted EBITDA margin in the ES segment expanded by 90 basis points to 25.3% on the strength of 11% revenue growth combined with a 15% increase in Adjusted EBITDA. Beyond our financial performance, we achieved significant operational milestones in 2024, including:

• Achievement of a TRIR of 0.65,
• Completion and commercial launch of our Kimball, Nebraska incinerator,
• Acquisitions of HEPACO and Noble Oil,
• Workforce growth and improved retention by lowering turnover by 250 basis points,
• Introduction of our Total PFAS Solution,
• Expansion of our Baltimore Hub,
• Partnership with Castrol for its MoreCircular offering, and
• More than 20,000 emergency response events.

These developments illustrate our strategic execution and underscore our commitment to safety, growth, operational efficiency and market responsiveness.”

Business Outlook and Financial Guidance

“We expect a year of profitable growth in 2025, led by our ES segment,” Gerstenberg said. “A healthy backlog of waste streams across our disposal and recycling network is supported by favorable underlying trends expected in U.S. manufacturing, infrastructure spending and regulations, particularly as it relates to PFAS. We also continue to see a robust pipeline of remediation and waste projects as we move into the year. The commercial ramp up of our Nebraska incinerator is underway and our network is currently operating at a high level, efficiently and safely moving waste and utilizing all disposal assets. Our outlook for Field Services is decidedly positive given the early returns on the HEPACO transaction and the anticipated need for our comprehensive ER capabilities. We anticipate a return to growth in our Industrial Services business this year after a slower 2024, while SK Environmental Services should continue to drive record waste volumes into our network.

“Within SKSS, our focus will remain on actively managing our cost structure, particularly waste oil collection costs. In terms of growth strategies, we are directing our energies into areas such as our Castrol partnership, Group III production, blended sales and opportunities to capitalize on the sustainable products we offer.”

Battles concluded, “Overall, we believe we have the ideal strategies in place to deliver a great financial performance in 2025. In addition to increasing Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted free cash flow, we anticipate continued Adjusted EBITDA margin improvement based on our pricing, cost reduction and productivity initiatives.”

In the first quarter of 2025, Clean Harbors expects Adjusted EBITDA to grow 4%-6% year-over-year in its ES segment and be flat on a consolidated basis. For full-year 2025, Clean Harbors expects:

• Adjusted EBITDA in the range of $1.15 billion to $1.21 billion, or a midpoint of $1.18 billion, which represents 6% growth year-over-year. This Adjusted EBITDA range is based on anticipated GAAP net income in the range of $376 million to $427 million.
• Adjusted free cash flow in the range of $430 million to $490 million, or a midpoint of $460 million. This range is based on anticipated net cash from operating activities in the range of $775 million to $865 million.

Non-GAAP Results

Clean Harbors reports Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered an alternative to net income or other measurements under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) but viewed only as a supplement to those measurements. Adjusted EBITDA is not calculated identically by all companies, and therefore the Company’s measurement of Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Clean Harbors believes that Adjusted EBITDA provides additional useful information to investors because the Company’s management routinely evaluates the performance of its businesses based upon levels of Adjusted EBITDA. The Company defines Adjusted EBITDA as described in the following reconciliation showing the differences between reported net income and Adjusted EBITDA for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands, except percentages):

Adjusted Free Cash Flow Reconciliation

Clean Harbors reports adjusted free cash flow, a non-GAAP measure, which it considers to be a measurement of liquidity that provides useful information to investors about its ability to generate cash. The Company defines adjusted free cash flow as net cash from operating activities less additions to property, plant and equipment plus proceeds from sale and disposal of fixed assets. When necessary, the Company adjusts for the cash impact of items derived from non-operating activities. Adjusted free cash flow should not be considered an alternative to net cash from operating activities or other measurements under GAAP. Adjusted free cash flow is not calculated identically by all companies, and therefore the Company’s measurement of adjusted free cash flow may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

An itemized reconciliation between net cash from operating activities and adjusted free cash flow is as follows for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in thousands):

Adjusted EBITDA Guidance Reconciliation

An itemized reconciliation between projected GAAP net income and projected Adjusted EBITDA is as follows (in millions):

Adjusted Free Cash Flow Guidance Reconciliation

An itemized reconciliation between projected GAAP net cash from operating activities and projected adjusted free cash flow is as follows (in millions). Starting in 2025, the Company is excluding significant one-time growth investments, which the Company expects to realize future long-term benefits from, as they are not indicative of free cash flow generation for the current period.

Conference Call Information

Clean Harbors will conduct a conference call for investors today at 9:00 a.m. (ET) to discuss the information contained in this press release. During the call, management will discuss Clean Harbors’ financial results, business outlook and growth strategy. Investors who wish to listen to the webcast and view the accompanying slides should visit the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at www.cleanharbors.com. The live call also can be accessed by dialing 877.709.8155 or 201.689.8881 prior to the start time. If you are unable to listen to the live conference call, the webcast will be archived on the Company’s website.

About Clean Harbors

Clean Harbors (NYSE: CLH) is North America’s leading provider of environmental and industrial services. The Company serves a diverse customer base, including a majority of Fortune 500 companies. Its customer base spans a number of industries, including chemical, manufacturing and refining, as well as numerous government agencies. These customers rely on Clean Harbors to deliver a broad range of services such as end-to-end hazardous waste management, emergency spill response, industrial cleaning and maintenance, and recycling services. Through its Safety-Kleen subsidiary, Clean Harbors also is a leading provider of parts washers and environmental services to commercial, industrial and automotive customers, as well as North America’s largest re-refiner and recycler of used oil. Founded in 1980 and based in Massachusetts, Clean Harbors operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and India. For more information, visit www.cleanharbors.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Any statements contained herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans to,” “seeks,” “will,” “should,” “estimates,” “projects,” “may,” “likely,” “potential,” “outlook” or similar expressions. Such statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about the Company’s future financial and operating results, plans, strategy, objectives and goals, cost management initiatives, pricing and productivity initiatives, contingent liabilities, liquidity, business and market conditions, trends, customer demand, acquisitions, growth opportunities, expectations, challenges and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are based upon the beliefs and expectations of Clean Harbors’ management as of the date of this press release only and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including, without limitation, those items identified as “Risk Factors” in Clean Harbors’ most recently filed reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Therefore, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Clean Harbors undertakes no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements other than through its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which may be viewed in the “Investors” section of Clean Harbors’ website at www.cleanharbors.com.

Supplemental Segment Data (in thousands)

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