Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Morgan Stanley Analyst Says

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its Clorox price target from $87 to $94 but kept an Equal Weight rating; the target implies about 6.5% downside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly cautious: MarketBeat’s consensus rating is “Reduce,” with a $93.79 average price target; 12 analysts rate the stock Hold and four rate it Sell.
• Clorox beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $1.55 versus $1.07 expected and revenue of $1.91 billion versus $1.88 billion. Revenue increased 33.3% year over year.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by Morgan Stanley from $87.00 to $94.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley's price objective indicates a potential downside of 6.53% from the company's previous close.

CLX has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and issued a $74.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research downgraded Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group set a $88.00 target price on Clorox in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore raised Clorox from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $99.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $93.79.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $6.77 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $100.57. 2,272,558 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,655,193. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.80, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.59. Clorox has a 52-week low of $79.12 and a 52-week high of $128.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $88.00 and a 200-day moving average of $99.83.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.48. Clorox had a return on equity of 601.88% and a net margin of 9.41%. The company had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.85 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 33.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Clorox will post 5.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 2nd quarter valued at $958,640,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 2nd quarter worth $179,780,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the second quarter worth $123,154,000. Equity Investment Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the second quarter valued at $111,800,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the second quarter valued at $68,473,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Key Clorox News

Here are the key news stories impacting Clorox this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Clorox reported adjusted EPS of $1.55, above the $1.07 consensus, and revenue of $1.91 billion, topping estimates of $1.88 billion. Higher sales, cost savings and contributions from GOJO supported the results. Clorox Shares Rally After Q1 Earnings Beat
• Positive Sentiment: The company maintained fiscal 2027 guidance of $5.70–$6.00 in adjusted EPS and $7.6–$7.7 billion in revenue, with the EPS range slightly above consensus. Evercore also upgraded its rating to In-Line from Underperform, citing the new CEO’s turnaround experience. Evercore ISI Group upgrades Clorox to in-line
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views remain mixed: UBS raised its price target to $96 while keeping a Neutral rating; Barclays maintained a Sell rating. UBS adjusts Clorox price target
• Negative Sentiment: Clorox expects adjusted earnings near the low end of its fiscal-year range as inflation and higher input costs squeeze margins. The acquisition-related increase in debt has also prompted questions about balance-sheet flexibility and dividend sustainability. Clorox earnings outlook and costs

Clorox Company Profile

The Clorox Company, founded in 1913 and headquartered in Oakland, California, is a consumer and professional products company. It began with household bleach and has expanded into a portfolio of brands serving cleaning, household, personal care, food, and professional markets.

Its brands include Clorox disinfecting and cleaning products, Pine-Sol cleaners, Liquid-Plumr drain care, Kingsford charcoal, Fresh Step and Scoop Away cat litter, Hidden Valley dressings and dips, Brita water filtration products, and Burt's Bees personal care items.

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