The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Acquired by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank grew its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 36,196 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,908 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Clorox were worth $5,879,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its position in Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CLX shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.23.

Clorox Stock Down 2.2 %

Shares of CLX stock traded down $3.02 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $134.79. 1,931,005 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,305,045. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $142.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $154.27. The company has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The Clorox Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. Clorox's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Clorox's payout ratio is 87.61%.

Clorox Company Profile

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.