Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Reduces Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lessened its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 27.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 256,814 shares of the company's stock after selling 96,553 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.21% of Clorox worth $37,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 119.6% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,364 shares of the company's stock valued at $546,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 22,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,601,000 after acquiring an additional 372 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 2,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $378,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Finally, Sovran Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $261,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CLX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.23.

Clorox Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $0.75 during trading on Monday, reaching $123.82. The company had a trading volume of 1,987,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,364,200. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $122.84 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The stock has a market cap of $15.26 billion, a PE ratio of 33.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.54. The business's 50-day moving average is $134.66 and its 200 day moving average is $147.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its 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 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.