Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Reaches New 52-Week Low - Time to Sell?

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $122.68 and last traded at $123.45, with a volume of 153754 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.93.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $151.23.

Clorox Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $14.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $133.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a return on equity of 324.23% and a net margin of 9.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber acquired 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Clorox

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 1st quarter worth $399,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 28,510 shares of the company's stock worth $4,198,000 after purchasing an additional 7,159 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 565,810 shares of the company's stock worth $91,893,000 after purchasing an additional 6,987 shares in the last quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 1st quarter worth $400,000. Finally, Willis Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 9.1% in the 1st quarter. Willis Investment Counsel now owns 202,678 shares of the company's stock worth $29,844,000 after purchasing an additional 16,893 shares in the last quarter. 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.