Merit Financial Group LLC Acquires 336 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLXFree Report) by 17.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,274 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 336 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $369,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CLX. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth about $3,468,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its position in Clorox by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,245,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Clorox by 80.4% during the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 345.8% in the fourth quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,315 shares of the company’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX opened at $159.12 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $163.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $157.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.42. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08, a current ratio of 1.00 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Clorox (NYSE:CLXGet Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.08% and a net margin of 4.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 6.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 29th. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 170.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on CLX shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $174.00 to $187.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays cut their target price on Clorox from $139.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Clorox from $153.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen upgraded Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Clorox from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $157.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $156.54.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CLX

Clorox Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for Clorox (NYSE:CLX)

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