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CLNEClean Energy Fuels Corp.Hold5.0·$1.80+3.44%
HoldModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

Clean Energy Fuels screens as statistically cheap and shows early signs of a technical recovery, but weak business quality, cash burn, and elevated leverage keep the recommended position size at essentially zero despite a large nominal upside gap to the analyst target.

Thesis pillars

  • Value Re Rating On Forward EarningsDeteriorating
  • Technical Recovery From Death CrossStable
  • Quality Deficit Below Investment FloorStable
  • +2 more pillars — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

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Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE) Stock Analysis

Falling Knife setup · Inst Constrain edge

HoldVALUE-TRAP 2/5ValueQualityModerate Confidence

Energy · Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $1.80, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Market cap $384M below $400M minimum; Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.8), Negative free cash flow.

Clean Energy Fuels procures and distributes renewable natural gas (RNG) and conventional natural gas as CNG and LNG vehicle fuel for heavy- and medium-duty fleets across the U.S. and Canada, operating 582 U.S. fueling stations (over 200 in California) and 27 in Canada as of... Read more

$1.80+111.0% A.UpsideScore 5.0/10#18 of 18 Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing
QualityF-score6 / 9FCF yield-2.90%
Stop $1.66Target $3.78(analyst − 13%)A.R:R 8.6:1
Analyst target$4.34+141.2%6 analysts
$3.78our TP
$1.80price
$4.34mean
$7

Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $1.80, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Market cap $384M below $400M minimum; Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.8), Negative free cash flow. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 35, MACD bearish. Market cap $384M below $400M minimum. Not in investable universe. Score 5.0/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 8/10 gates (positive momentum, favorable risk/reward ratio, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 83d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on death cross (50MA < 200MA). Suitability: speculative.

10-K grounded · weekly refresh

About Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

About Clean Energy Fuels Corp.

Clean Energy Fuels sold 468 million gasoline gallon equivalents of RNG, CNG and LNG as vehicle fuel in 2025, delivered through 582 fueling stations across 43 U.S. states and the District of Columbia plus 27 stations in Canada. The company says it provided roughly 50% of the RNG used for transportation fuel in California and 32% nationally in 2025, serving over 1,200 fleet customers operating more than 65,000 vehicles on its fuels.

Clean Energy earns revenue from vehicle fuel sales, station construction and operations-and-maintenance contracts, and the sale of federal RIN and state LCFS Environmental Credits generated when it dispenses RNG as vehicle fuel; credit prices were volatile in 2025, with RINs ranging $2.05-$2.50 and LCFS credits $40.00-$75.50. RNG grew to 88% of vehicle fuel sales in 2025, sourced both from company-developed dairy digester projects and from over 150 third-party supply sources, with third-party RNG split 40% anaerobic digester gas and 60% landfill gas. Production capacity is expanded through joint ventures with TotalEnergies (one project in operation) and bp (five projects operating, one under construction), plus a joint development agreement with Maas Energy Works for additional dairy digester projects, and a Tourmaline Oil joint venture operating four CNG stations in Western Canada. The company's biggest fuel competitor remains diesel, followed by other alternative fuels such as renewable diesel, biodiesel and ethanol.

Show full overview

Clean Energy's own risk factors single out a narrow set of external dependencies that could move results more than typical diversification would allow: engine availability for its vehicle fuels rests on a small number of manufacturers, chiefly Cummins, and the company warns that partners including TotalEnergies, bp and Chevron reallocating resources away from RNG would have a material adverse effect on its plans. The RNG supply itself leans toward landfill gas, at 60% of third-party sourced volume in 2025, even as the company frames higher-value dairy-waste feedstock as the larger untapped opportunity. A CEO transition in April 2026, when Barclay Corbus succeeded long-time chief executive Andrew Littlefair, adds near-term execution uncertainty on top of these structural exposures.

See also: Energy · Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

From Clean Energy Fuels Corp.'s most recent 10-K filing, extracted July 6, 2026.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-08-14
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Wed, Nov 4, 202683d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Market cap $384M below $400M minimum
Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.8), Negative free cash flow

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)
P/E (Fwd)-53.5
Mkt Cap$384M
EV/EBITDA41.2
Profit Mgn-21.3%
ROE-16.4%
Rev Growth3.7%
Beta1.85
DividendNone
Rating analysts13

Quality Signals

Piotroski F6/9

Options Flow

P/C0.50bullish
IV90%elevated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

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Conflicts and positions. The TrendMatrix editorial team frequently holds personal long-term positions in securities discussed. We disclose positions held at the time of publication on each piece. We maintain a trading-window policy: we do not initiate or close positions in the same direction as a TrendMatrix publication within 24 hours before or 72 hours after publication.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

3 floor-breakers·1 ceiling hit

Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static

Growth Rank
0.0
Value Rank
0.6
Quality Rank
0.9

Cyclical trough — margins compressed or negative. Profitability typically recovers with the cycle, but floor fires on current data.static

Roe
0.0
Roa
0.0
Operating Margin
0.0
Net Margin
0.0
Fcf Quality
0.0
Gross Margin
1.5
Moat
3.9
Piotroski F
6.7
Current Ratio
8.4
Cash-burning: FCF -3% of revenueNo competitive moatQuality concerns

Growth below the gate floor. Component breakdown shows what dragged the score down.static

Revenue Growth
3.4
Low model confidence on this dimension (33%).
GatesDeath cross (50MA < 200MA)Momentum 4.7<5.5 (soft — BUY_NOW allowed but watch)Momentum 4.7>=4.5A.R:R 8.6 ≥ 1.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 83d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARFalling KnifeSuitability: Speculative
RSI
35 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MADEATH CROSSSupport $1.56Resistance $2.42

Price Targets

$2
$4
A.Upside+111.0%
A.R:R8.6:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Market cap $384M below $400M minimum
! Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.8), Negative free cash flow
! Death cross — 50-day MA below 200-day MA

Earnings

B
M
M
M
1/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-11-04 (83d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CLNE stock a buy right now?

Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $1.80, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Market cap $384M below $400M minimum; Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.8), Negative free cash flow. Chart setup: Death cross, below all MAs, RSI 35, MACD bearish. Market cap $384M below $400M minimum. Not in investable universe. Target $3.78 (+110.0%), stop $1.66 (−8.4%), A.R:R 8.6:1. Score 5.0/10, moderate confidence.

What is the CLNE stock price target?

Take-profit target: $3.78 (+111.0% upside). Target $3.78 (+110.0%), stop $1.66 (−8.4%), A.R:R 8.6:1. Stop-loss: $1.66.

What are the risks of investing in CLNE?

Market cap $384M below $400M minimum; Value-trap signals (2/5): High leverage (D/E 1.8), Negative free cash flow.

Is CLNE overvalued or undervalued?

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. trades at a P/E of N/A (forward -53.5). TrendMatrix value score: 7.3/10. Verdict: Hold.

What do analysts say about CLNE?

13 analysts cover CLNE with a consensus score of 4.1/5. Average price target: $4.

What does Clean Energy Fuels Corp. do?Clean Energy Fuels procures and distributes renewable natural gas (RNG) and conventional natural gas as CNG and LNG...

Clean Energy Fuels procures and distributes renewable natural gas (RNG) and conventional natural gas as CNG and LNG vehicle fuel for heavy- and medium-duty fleets across the U.S. and Canada, operating 582 U.S. fueling stations (over 200 in California) and 27 in Canada as of December 31, 2025. Revenue comes from fuel sales, station construction and maintenance, and sales of federal RIN and state LCFS credits generated when RNG is sold as vehicle fuel; RNG made up 88% of 2025 vehicle fuel sales.

Related stocks: CSAN (Cosan S.A.) · CVI (CVR Energy Inc.) · SGU (Star Group L.P.) · WKC (World Kinect Corporation) · DKL (Delek Logistics Partners, L.P.)
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