Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target Lowered to $155.00 at Citigroup

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its price objective reduced by Citigroup from $165.00 to $155.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on CLX. Morgan Stanley reissued an equal weight rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $162.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Monday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, January 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Clorox in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a sell rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $148.63.

Clorox Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $143.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37. The firm has a market cap of $17.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 227.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.43. Clorox has a 12 month low of $114.68 and a 12 month high of $178.21. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $149.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.79.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $1.08. Clorox had a net margin of 1.09% and a return on equity of 319.41%. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.98 earnings per share. Clorox’s revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Clorox will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 761.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in Clorox by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,982,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in Clorox by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 5,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $720,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Toroso Investments LLC grew its position in Clorox by 1.3% in the first quarter. Toroso Investments LLC now owns 5,266 shares of the company’s stock valued at $833,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its stake in Clorox by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Modera Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Clorox by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $672,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

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.