Analysts Set The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Price Target at $150.14

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) has received an average rating of “Reduce” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $150.14.

Several analysts have issued reports on CLX shares. BNP Paribas upgraded Clorox to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Clorox from $130.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 11th. TD Cowen began coverage on Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “sell” rating and a $122.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of Clorox stock opened at $160.35 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.41. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $159.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $145.24. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. Clorox has a 12 month low of $114.68 and a 12 month high of $169.09.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors 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 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is 252.85%.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was 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 directly owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1,525.7% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,046,000 after purchasing an additional 61,576 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 93.7% during the 1st quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 72,053 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,032,000 after acquiring an additional 34,864 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in Clorox by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 141,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $21,705,000 after acquiring an additional 18,687 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Clorox by 257.5% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 8,087 shares during the period. Finally, Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,025,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.