The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR lessened its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 3,135 shares of the company’s stock after selling 422 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Clorox were worth $509,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the third quarter worth about $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Down 1.9 %

NYSE:CLX opened at $147.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 40.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $159.55 and a 200-day moving average of $159.13. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CLX shares. Barclays lifted their target price on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson dropped their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $158.21.

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.