The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have issued a hold rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $143.19.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $162.00 to $153.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Argus upgraded shares of Clorox to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $148.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 2nd.

Clorox Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of CLX stock opened at $157.26 on Friday. Clorox has a 12 month low of $114.68 and a 12 month high of $158.89. The stock has a market cap of $19.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $139.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.41.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 382.58%. On average, research analysts expect that Clorox will post 6.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 13th. This is a positive change from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 252.85%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 308.5% in the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 192 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 139.8% in the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Company Profile

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.