Sandy Spring Bank Sells 106 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Sandy Spring Bank lessened its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 6,728 shares of the company’s stock after selling 106 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank’s holdings in Clorox were worth $1,093,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on CLX shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.62.

Clorox Stock Performance

CLX opened at $145.46 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $153.10 and its 200-day moving average is $159.87.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share 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 period last year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.33%.

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.