Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Hits New 12-Month Low - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Clorox's stock has reached a new 52-week low, trading as low as $116.32 amidst recent declines.
• Analysts have issued a mix of ratings for Clorox, with twelve holding a Hold rating, four recommending sell, and only one giving a buy rating, reflecting bearish sentiment.
• Clorox recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share, contributing to an annualized yield of 4.2%, despite a relatively high dividend payout ratio of 76.07%.

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $116.32 and last traded at $116.97, with a volume of 394175 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $118.18.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on CLX. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $135.00 to $128.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $135.00 to $127.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $118.00 to $110.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $130.20.

Clorox Stock Performance

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 company's 50-day simple moving average is $121.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $127.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.97, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.63. Clorox had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 377.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. The company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.950-6.30 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be given a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is 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 that occurred 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.6% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,266 shares of the company's stock worth $1,953,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 4.4% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,768 shares of the company's stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Sfmg LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 2.8% during the first quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the company's stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp boosted its position in Clorox by 4.3% during the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,064 shares of the company's stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, American National Bank & Trust boosted its position in Clorox by 69.5% during the second 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 period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.