Surevest Inc. grew its holdings in Clorox Co (NYSE:CLX) by 55.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,130 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,253 shares during the period. Surevest Inc.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $1,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Johanson Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 15,438.7% in the 4th quarter. Johanson Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 425,449 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,771,000 after acquiring an additional 422,711 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Clorox by 10,510.7% in the second quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 382,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $58,567,000 after purchasing an additional 378,912 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 424.4% during the second quarter. Pictet Asset Management Ltd. now owns 338,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,845,000 after buying an additional 274,037 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 1,475.7% during the third quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 285,676 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,386,000 after buying an additional 267,546 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Conning Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 8,383.5% in the third quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 216,244 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,841,000 after buying an additional 213,695 shares during the period. 77.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $156.07 on Wednesday. Clorox Co has a 1-year low of $143.58 and a 1-year high of $166.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.69, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $154.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $154.05.
Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.05. Clorox had a net margin of 13.20% and a return on equity of 123.56%. The business had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.51 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.62 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Clorox Co will post 6.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The firm 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 $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 28th. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.09%.
In other news, SVP Denise Garner sold 725 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.34, for a total value of $106,096.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 5,805 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $849,503.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrew J. Mowery sold 5,648 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.29, for a total value of $826,245.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,920 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,328,936.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Several equities analysts have commented on CLX shares. Citigroup cut their price objective on Clorox from $167.00 to $163.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Co restated a “hold” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $128.00 to $125.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $160.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Cfra lowered Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Clorox currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $152.17.
About Clorox
The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Cleaning, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The company offers laundry additives, including bleach products under the Clorox brand, as well as Clorox 2 stain fighter and color booster; home care products primarily under the Clorox, Formula 409, Liquid-Plumr, Pine-Sol, S.O.S, and Tilex brands; naturally derived products under the Green Works brand; and professional cleaning, disinfecting, and food service products under the Clorox, Dispatch, HealthLink, Clorox Healthcare, Hidden Valley, KC Masterpiece, and Soy Vay brands.
