Victory Capital Management Inc. Boosts Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 172,526 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,510 shares during the quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $24,600,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CLX. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Czech National Bank grew its position in Clorox by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 9.3% in the fourth quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 903 shares of the company’s stock worth $129,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on CLX shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Clorox from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $159.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $136.00 to $132.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $164.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $146.43.

Clorox Stock Performance

Clorox stock opened at $140.45 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $17.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $148.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $143.67. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $114.68 and a 1-year high of $170.43.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.83 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 248.70%.

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.