AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs Makes New $770,000 Investment in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs acquired a new position in The Clorox Company, purchasing 5,231 shares valued at approximately $770,000 in the first quarter.
• Clorox recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share, reflecting a 4.0% yield and showing a commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Several analysts have cut their price targets for Clorox stock, with Morgan Stanley reducing its target from $150.00 to $137.00 and maintaining an "equal weight" rating.

AG2R LA Mondiale Gestion D Actifs purchased a new stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,231 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $770,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,573,076 shares of the company's stock worth $2,293,135,000 after buying an additional 65,924 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 2.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,528,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,133,000 after acquiring an additional 34,655 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Clorox by 7.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,361,710 shares of the company's stock worth $200,512,000 after purchasing an additional 94,371 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Clorox by 3.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,157,257 shares of the company's stock worth $170,406,000 after purchasing an additional 41,485 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Clorox by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,115,772 shares of the company's stock worth $181,213,000 after purchasing an additional 123,200 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX stock traded down $2.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $122.09. 583,892 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,658,686. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $124.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $131.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.52. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $116.53 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.24 by $0.63. Clorox had a return on equity of 377.86% and a net margin of 11.40%.The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The business'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 forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 76.07%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Eric H. Reynolds sold 15,041 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.78, for a total transaction 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 $6,711,475.38. The trade was a 21.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on CLX shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $135.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Clorox from $138.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $142.18.

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.