Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Hits New 1-Year Low - Here's What Happened

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $120.11 and last traded at $121.30, with a volume of 105628 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $122.02.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. Three 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 MarketBeat, Clorox presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $149.50.

Clorox Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $132.05 and a 200 day moving average of $145.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $14.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.54.

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

Insider Activity at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 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.