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Clean Harbors vs W.W. Grainger: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

W.W. Grainger holds the cleaner structural position, with profitability as the main driver and growth adding further support. Clean Harbors does not offset that deficit through any equally strong structural edge elsewhere. The market setup is mixed, without a decisive signal in either direction. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The lead is spread across profitability and growth, rather than sitting in one isolated gap. The overall score gap is 23 points in favour of W.W. Grainger, Inc..

Trajectory Similarity
0.77
Similar
Peer-set rank: #8
within Clean Harbors, Inc.'s functional peer set

This comparison is anchored in long-term financial trajectory similarity within the selected peer universe.

A solid similarity means the pair shares a clearly comparable long-term financial profile, even if individual dimensions still differ.

The clearest structural overlap shows up in margin consistency and revenue stability.

Similarity drivers
margin consistencyrevenue stability
How to read the score
0.85–1.00 · Very similar0.70–0.84 · Similar0.55–0.69 · Moderately similarbelow 0.55 · Loose match
Peer-Relative Score
CLH
Clean Harbors, Inc.
45
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
GWW
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
68
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

Score differences across key dimensions.

Dimension spread: CLH vs GWW Profitability 28 80 Stability 69 79 Valuation 48 53 Growth 42 62 CLH GWW
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +52
#2 Growth +20
#3 Stability +10
#4 Valuation +5
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for CLH and GWW Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer CLHGWW Relative valuation Structural strength

W.W. Grainger, Inc. looks stronger on relative valuation, while the broader price setup remains mixed.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where CLH and GWW each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY CLH Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap GWW Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 99th
CLH (99th percentile) and GWW (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
On profitability, W.W. Grainger, Inc. ranks near the top of the group; Clean Harbors, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Growth
On growth, the same pattern holds: both rank well, but W.W. Grainger, Inc. still sits higher.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
CLH
28
GWW
80
Gap+52in favour of GWW

The profitability lead is mainly driven by a 8.6-point operating margin advantage.

What else supports the lead

Growth still reinforces the same direction, which makes the lead look broader across the profile.

What this means for the comparison

Profitability is the clearest driver, and growth also supports W.W. Grainger, Inc.'s broader structural position.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the CLH vs GWW comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar profitability-driven comparisons

Explore how CLH and GWW each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.