Stock Traders Buy High Volume of Clorox Call Options (NYSE:CLX)

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders acquired 2,976 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 47% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,024 call options.

Clorox Trading Down 1.6 %

CLX traded down $2.23 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.68. 110,021 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,210,271. Clorox has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.37. The firm has a market cap of $17.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $159.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly 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 company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Clorox by 18.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,074 shares of the company’s stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Clorox by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 49,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,981,000 after purchasing an additional 3,364 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Clorox by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC now owns 6,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,009,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV grew its position in shares of Clorox by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Smith Shellnut Wilson LLC ADV now owns 4,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $711,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CLX has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.62.

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.