Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target Lowered to $142.00 at Evercore ISI

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its target price trimmed by Evercore ISI from $145.00 to $142.00 in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an underperform rating on the stock.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on CLX. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $151.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $148.00 to $136.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. DA Davidson restated a neutral rating and issued a $162.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $146.43.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX opened at $138.23 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.62, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a 50-day moving average of $148.45 and a 200-day moving average of $143.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.90. Clorox has a 1-year low of $114.68 and a 1-year high of $176.24.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.38. Clorox had a return on equity of 302.49% and a net margin of 3.33%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.51 earnings per share. Clorox’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Clorox will post 5.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 248.71%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CLX. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its position in shares of Clorox by 3.2% during 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 1.4% in 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. Finally, Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,097,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

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.