The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Has $12.11 Million Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 74,349 shares of the company’s stock after selling 674 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.06% of Clorox worth $12,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CLX. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 139.8% in the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in Clorox by 99.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Down 0.4 %

CLX opened at $166.47 on Tuesday. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.35. The company has a market cap of $20.61 billion, a PE ratio of 58.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $163.13 and a 200 day moving average of $149.68.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.08% and a net margin of 4.78%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 6.85 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 29th. Clorox’s payout ratio is 170.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen raised Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $174.00 to $187.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Clorox from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Clorox to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $155.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total transaction of $286,846.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This trade represents a 11.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

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.