Fisher Asset Management LLC Decreases Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Fisher Asset Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,051 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,017 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $4,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Insight Folios Inc increased its holdings in Clorox by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 2,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 19,050 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,600,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 3,634 shares of the company’s stock worth $496,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. SPC Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 3,485 shares of the company’s stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its holdings in Clorox by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 510 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX opened at $167.15 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $20.69 billion, a PE ratio of 58.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $163.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.14. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.35.

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

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be given a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. Clorox’s payout ratio is 170.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $174.00 to $187.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. TD Cowen upgraded Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded Clorox to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $155.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total value of $286,846.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,229,719.92. The trade was a 11.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.