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

Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) have received an average rating of “Reduce” from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $156.75.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CLX shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX stock opened at $141.35 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. Clorox has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.37. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $147.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $157.24.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Institutional Trading of Clorox

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.