Bridgewater Associates LP Sells 11,063 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Bridgewater Associates LP reduced its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 33.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,321 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,063 shares during the period. Bridgewater Associates LP's holdings in Clorox were worth $3,625,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth $33,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of CLX stock traded down $1.78 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $139.03. The company had a trading volume of 260,437 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,439,590. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.37. The company has a 50 day moving average of $146.19 and a 200 day moving average of $156.10. The firm has a market cap of $17.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Clorox from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. StockNews.com downgraded Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $153.83.

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.