Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Clorox (NYSE:CLX) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Monday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $135.00 price objective (down from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Clorox from $130.00 to $125.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Clorox from $118.00 to $112.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $134.08.

Clorox Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $122.64 on Monday. Clorox has a 12 month low of $116.53 and a 12 month high of $171.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.81, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15. The business has a 50-day moving average of $123.15 and a 200-day moving average of $129.96.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.63. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.94 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 377.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.950-6.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.07%.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other Clorox news, COO Eric H. Reynolds sold 15,041 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.78, for a total value of $1,861,774.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 54,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,711,475.38. This represents a 21.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Total Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Clorox in the second quarter worth $25,000. American National Bank & Trust raised its position in shares of Clorox by 69.5% in the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in Clorox by 567.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 227 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Clorox in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

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.