Stonegate Investment Group LLC Takes $219,000 Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Stonegate Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $219,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Fiduciary Group LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 19,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,600,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Clorox by 2.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $496,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. SPC Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of Clorox by 2.2% during the second quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 3,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Finally, Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,702 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX opened at $161.96 on Friday. 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 firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $159.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $145.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.92, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.41. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $114.68 and a twelve month high of $169.09.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. Clorox had a return on equity of 281.12% and a net margin of 3.95%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Equities analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 252.85%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total value of $286,846.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on CLX. BNP Paribas upgraded Clorox to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Clorox from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “sell” rating and a $122.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $150.14.

Clorox 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.