Head-To-Head Survey: Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) & Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD)

Quad Graphics (NYSE:QUAD) and Clean Harbors (NYSE:CLH) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, dividends and earnings.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Quad Graphics and Clean Harbors, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Quad Graphics	0	2	3	0	2.60
Clean Harbors	0	5	11	2	2.83

Quad Graphics currently has a consensus target price of $12.00, suggesting a potential upside of 26.52%. Clean Harbors has a consensus target price of $357.71, suggesting a potential upside of 11.55%. Given Quad Graphics’ higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe Quad Graphics is more favorable than Clean Harbors.

Volatility and Risk

Quad Graphics has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its share price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Clean Harbors has a beta of 0.87, suggesting that its share price is 13% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

39.5% of Quad Graphics shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 90.4% of Clean Harbors shares are held by institutional investors. 14.2% of Quad Graphics shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 5.0% of Clean Harbors shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Quad Graphics and Clean Harbors’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Quad Graphics	1.31%	47.90%	4.61%
Clean Harbors	7.03%	15.65%	5.75%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Quad Graphics and Clean Harbors”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Quad Graphics	$2.42 billion	0.20	$27.00 million	$0.63	15.06
Clean Harbors	$6.03 billion	2.81	$390.97 million	$8.24	38.92

Clean Harbors has higher revenue and earnings than Quad Graphics. Quad Graphics is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Clean Harbors, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Clean Harbors beats Quad Graphics on 11 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Quad Graphics

Quad/Graphics, Inc. provides marketing solutions worldwide. The company operates through United States Print and Related Services, and International segments. It offers printing services, such as retail inserts, publications, catalogs, special interest publications, journals, direct mail, directories, in-store marketing and promotion, packaging, newspapers, custom print products, and other commercial and specialty printed products; and paper procurement services. The company also provides marketing and other services, including data and analytics, technology solutions, media services, creative and content solutions, managed services, and execution in non-print channels, as well as manufactures ink. It serves blue-chip companies that operate in various industries, and serve businesses and consumers across various industry verticals comprising retail, consumer packaged goods and direct-to-consumer, as well as financial services and health. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Sussex, Wisconsin.

About Clean Harbors

Clean Harbors, Inc. provides environmental and industrial services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Environmental Services and Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions. The Environmental Services segment collects, transports, treats, and disposes hazardous and non-hazardous waste, such as resource recovery, physical treatment, fuel blending, incineration, landfill disposal, wastewater treatment, lab chemicals disposal, and explosives management services; and offers CleanPack services, including collection, identification, categorization, specialized packaging, transportation, and disposal of laboratory chemicals and household hazardous waste. This segment also provides industrial maintenance and specialty industrial services; and utilizes specialty equipment and resources that performs field services. The Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions segment provides pickup and transportation services for hazardous and non-hazardous containerized waste for recycling or disposal; machine cleaning and maintenance, and disposal and replenishment of clean solvent or aqueous fluids; and vacuum services to remove solids, residual oily water, and sludge and other fluids from customers' oil/water separators, sumps, and collection tanks, as well as removes and collects waste fluids found at large and small industrial locations, including metal fabricators, auto maintenance providers, and general manufacturers. This segment also manufactures, formulates, packages, distributes, and markets lubricants and other automotive products. Clean Harbors, Inc. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Norwell, Massachusetts.