Clean Earth shines as Enviri weighs sale in strategic review; rail weakness clouds Q2 2025 earnings

Enviri launches a strategic review that could involve selling Clean Earth, as Q2 2025 results show rail weakness but record Clean Earth earnings.
Financial charts and performance data representing Enviri Corporation’s Q2 2025 earnings and strategic review, including potential Clean Earth separation.
Financial charts and performance data representing Enviri Corporation’s Q2 2025 earnings and strategic review, including potential Clean Earth separation.

Enviri Corporation (NYSE: NVRI) has initiated a formal strategic review aimed at closing what it describes as a persistent gap between its public market valuation and its sum-of-the-parts value. The Philadelphia-based environmental solutions provider disclosed on August 5, 2025, that its Board of Directors has authorized management to explore a wide range of value-creation options, including a potential tax-efficient sale or separation of its Clean Earth business, while continuing to execute its operational strategy.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Nick Grasberger said the process would be approached with “clarity, discipline, and an open mind,” supported by external financial and legal advisors. The company has retained BofA Securities and Jefferies LLC as financial advisors, with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP serving as legal counsel. Grasberger emphasized that the goal is to maximize shareholder value while maintaining delivery of “innovative, safe, and sustainable solutions” to customers’ environmental and infrastructure challenges across more than 150 locations in over 30 countries.

Enviri has not set a timetable for the review and cautioned that there is no certainty of a specific transaction or outcome. Updates will only be provided if the Board determines further disclosure is necessary.

Financial charts and performance data representing Enviri Corporation’s Q2 2025 earnings and strategic review, including potential Clean Earth separation.
Financial charts and performance data representing Enviri Corporation’s Q2 2025 earnings and strategic review, including potential Clean Earth separation.

Why is Enviri Corporation considering a strategic review that could involve a Clean Earth separation?

The decision to explore alternatives comes as Clean Earth continues to post record results, even as other segments face operational and demand pressures. Clean Earth, which specializes in treatment and reuse solutions for industrial and specialty waste streams, grew second-quarter 2025 revenues by 4% year-over-year to USD 246 million and expanded adjusted EBITDA to USD 40 million. Its adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.3% was the highest among Enviri’s three operating segments.

According to the company, Clean Earth’s performance has been supported by higher volumes, favorable pricing, and efficiency improvements, despite temporary cost pressures from disposal outlet outages. Institutional sentiment around the segment has generally been positive, with analysts noting its steady cash generation profile and role as a predictable earnings contributor. A separation could potentially unlock higher valuation multiples for the environmental services business compared with Enviri’s blended profile, which also includes industrial services and rail infrastructure operations.

How did Enviri Corporation perform financially in the second quarter of 2025?

For the quarter ended June 30, 2025, Enviri reported revenues of USD 562 million, down 8% from USD 610 million a year earlier. The decline reflected softer results in Harsco Environmental and Harsco Rail, partly offset by growth in Clean Earth. On a GAAP basis, the company recorded a consolidated loss from continuing operations of USD 46 million, or USD 0.58 per diluted share, widening from a loss of USD 10 million, or USD 0.16 per share, in the prior-year quarter.

Adjusted EBITDA totaled USD 65 million compared with USD 86 million in Q2 2024, while the adjusted loss per share from continuing operations was USD 0.22 versus adjusted earnings of USD 0.02 a year ago. Management attributed the year-on-year decline primarily to weakness in Harsco Rail and the impact of 2024 business divestitures in Harsco Environmental, which reduced revenues by approximately USD 22 million and adjusted EBITDA by about USD 3 million.

Harsco Environmental posted Q2 2025 revenues of USD 258 million, down from USD 293 million, with adjusted EBITDA falling to USD 40 million from USD 49 million. The company cited contract exits, site closures, and lower eco-products volumes, in addition to the divestitures. Adjusted EBITDA margin narrowed to 15.5% from 16.8%.

Harsco Rail saw the sharpest deterioration, with revenues dropping 28% year-over-year to USD 58 million and adjusted EBITDA turning negative USD 3 million from a positive USD 7 million a year earlier. Lower volumes in equipment, aftermarket parts, and technology products, combined with higher manufacturing costs and an unfavorable business mix, weighed on the segment.

Clean Earth was the outlier, delivering record second-quarter adjusted EBITDA and improving both top- and bottom-line metrics compared with 2024.

How has Enviri Corporation revised its 2025 guidance in light of current market conditions?

Enviri revised its full-year 2025 guidance to reflect weaker performance expectations for Harsco Rail, while maintaining prior outlooks for Harsco Environmental and Clean Earth. The company now expects adjusted EBITDA of USD 290–310 million, down from USD 305–325 million, and adjusted free cash flow of USD 15–35 million, compared with USD 30–50 million previously.

GAAP loss from continuing operations is projected at USD 74–56 million, with adjusted diluted loss per share from continuing operations expected at USD 0.52–0.30. Management noted that rail orders in North America and Asia have been weak in the first half of 2025 and are likely to remain so for the rest of the year, leading to lower shipments than initially forecast.

What are institutional and market perspectives on Enviri Corporation’s position going forward?

Market observers view the strategic review as a potentially significant value catalyst, particularly if it results in a Clean Earth separation or other transaction that simplifies Enviri’s portfolio. However, some caution remains over execution risks, including the ability to secure favorable terms in a sale or spinoff, the potential for transaction costs, and the operational impact of reorganizing the business.

Institutional sentiment on the environmental services and waste management sector remains constructive, supported by stable demand fundamentals, regulatory tailwinds, and pricing power in specialized waste treatment. For Enviri, the strategic review is likely to be weighed alongside its ability to stabilize Harsco Rail, which continues to face global demand headwinds and elevated production costs.

What is the broader outlook for Enviri Corporation amid its strategic review process?

Looking ahead, Enviri has indicated that it will balance the strategic review with disciplined execution of ongoing priorities in safety, sustainability, and operational efficiency. For Clean Earth, the focus remains on volume growth, efficiency initiatives, and maintaining pricing discipline. Harsco Environmental will continue implementing improvement projects and pursuing new contracts to offset volume and service mix pressures. Harsco Rail’s near-term priority is to address manufacturing cost structures and respond to the slowdown in global demand.

The company’s next major financial update is expected with its third-quarter 2025 results, where investors will be watching for both progress on the strategic review and evidence of performance stabilization in the rail segment.


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