Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 23,358 Shares of The Clorox Company $CLX

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,589 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,358 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $4,256,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Clorox by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,845,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,902,569,000 after purchasing an additional 272,420 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Clorox by 23.1% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,995,590 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,656,000 after buying an additional 750,415 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Clorox by 93.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,709,972 shares of the company’s stock worth $334,139,000 after buying an additional 1,312,471 shares during the period. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in Clorox by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,564,000 after buying an additional 439,797 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox during the second quarter worth $190,429,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CLX shares. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $109.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $114.00 to $112.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Clorox from $114.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Clorox from $115.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Clorox has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $118.73.

Clorox Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $112.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.32, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $115.87 and its 200 day moving average is $113.25. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $96.66 and a 52 week high of $150.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.03, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 383.01% and a net margin of 11.17%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.55 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 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 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is 81.05%.

Clorox Profile

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company’s flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox’s diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.