Forsta AP Fonden Sells 200 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Forsta AP Fonden cut its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 0.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 30,500 shares of the company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in Clorox were worth $4,969,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of CLX. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter worth approximately $242,000. LVW Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter worth approximately $247,000. Aviance Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter worth approximately $459,000. Diversified Trust Co increased its stake in Clorox by 54.8% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 13,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 4,623 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 174.2% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 754 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,000 after purchasing an additional 479 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Up 0.7 %

CLX opened at $157.72 on Tuesday. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $114.68 and a 1-year high of $169.09. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $160.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. The stock has a market cap of $19.59 billion, a PE ratio of 81.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.41.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.28. Clorox had a return on equity of 281.12% and a net margin of 3.95%. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is 252.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Clorox news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total transaction of $286,846.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,229,719.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their target price on Clorox from $130.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Clorox from $148.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $174.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $150.14.

About Clorox

The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Health and Wellness, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The Health and Wellness segment offers cleaning products, such as laundry additives and home care products primarily under the Clorox, Clorox2, Scentiva, Pine-Sol, Liquid-Plumr, Tilex, and Formula 409 brands; professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brands; professional food service products under the Hidden Valley brand; and vitamins, minerals and supplement products under the RenewLife, Natural Vitality, NeoCell, and Rainbow Light brands in the United States.