The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $158.21.

Several research analysts have issued reports on CLX shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th.

Clorox Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of CLX opened at $154.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $157.04 and a 200 day moving average of $160.05. The company has a market cap of $19.04 billion, a PE ratio of 42.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.42. Clorox has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its 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 period last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CLX. ABLE Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. ABLE Financial Group LLC now owns 3,502 shares of the company’s stock worth $569,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth about $82,000. Hall Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $461,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $90,000. Finally, American Trust acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $293,000. 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.