Centre Asset Management LLC Decreases Stock Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Centre Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 19.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 53,077 shares of the company's stock after selling 12,605 shares during the period. Clorox accounts for about 2.0% of Centre Asset Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Centre Asset Management LLC's holdings in Clorox were worth $7,816,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Clorox by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in Clorox by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. grew its stake in Clorox by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,624 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares in the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Clorox by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 3,272 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,180 shares of the company's stock worth $516,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX traded down $2.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $129.81. The company had a trading volume of 483,967 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,338,645. The company has a market capitalization of $16.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $129.19 and a 1 year high of $171.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $138.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $151.04.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $151.23.

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.