The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Receives $156.75 Consensus PT from Analysts

Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) have earned an average rating of “Reduce” from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $155.08.

CLX has been the subject of several research reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX opened at $140.77 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $147.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $157.05. Clorox has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The firm has a market cap of $17.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.46, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Clorox by 300.0% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.