KCM Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

KCM Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 2.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 41,352 shares of the company’s stock after selling 874 shares during the period. KCM Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $6,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX stock opened at $143.76 on Friday. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $158.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson decreased their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $159.00.

About Clorox

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.