The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Sold by Centre Asset Management LLC

Centre Asset Management LLC cut its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,682 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,942 shares during the quarter. Clorox makes up 2.4% of Centre Asset Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Centre Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $10,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Clorox by 139.8% during the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in Clorox by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased 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 purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the third quarter valued at about $48,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX stock traded up $0.82 during trading on Friday, reaching $162.65. 80,504 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 385,137. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.00. The company has a market cap of $20.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.67, a PEG ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.42. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $164.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $154.62.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 29th. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 170.03%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CLX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays raised their price target on Clorox from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. StockNews.com upgraded Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $148.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $153.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $155.38.

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.