Bank of New York Mellon Corp Raises Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon increased its Clorox stake by 31.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 1.25 million shares worth about $126.1 million.
• Institutional ownership remains high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 78.53% of Clorox stock, while director Pierre R. Breber also bought 5,000 shares in May.
• Clorox reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.64 per share, but analyst sentiment is cautious overall, with a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $103.40.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 31.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,251,045 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 301,624 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 1.03% of Clorox worth $126,143,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CLX. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. increased its stake in Clorox by 250.6% in the fourth quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 55,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,552,000 after purchasing an additional 39,360 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 11.7% in the third quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,297,016 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,922,000 after purchasing an additional 136,135 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Clorox by 27.0% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 928,654 shares of the company's stock worth $114,506,000 after acquiring an additional 197,330 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 131.8% during the fourth quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 62,454 shares of the company's stock worth $6,297,000 after acquiring an additional 35,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in Clorox by 221.4% during the third quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 86,426 shares of the company's stock worth $10,656,000 after acquiring an additional 59,533 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $85.82 per share, with a total value of $429,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 18,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,544,760. The trade was a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on CLX shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Clorox from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Clorox from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $103.40.

Clorox Trading Up 4.9%

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $94.07 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.56. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $84.70 and a 12-month high of $132.03. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $96.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.31.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 443.64% and a net margin of 11.18%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Profile

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company's flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox's diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.

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