The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Stock Holdings Raised by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in The Clorox Company by 34.0%, acquiring an additional 53,218 shares during the first quarter and bringing its total ownership to approximately $30.88 million.
• The Clorox Company reported earnings of $2.87 per share, surpassing analyst expectations of $2.24 and demonstrating a 4.5% increase in revenue year-over-year.
• Clorox announced a quarterly dividend increase to $1.24 per share, reflecting a 4.0% yield and indicating a positive change from its previous dividend of $1.22.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 34.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 209,691 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 53,218 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Clorox worth $30,877,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in Clorox by 239.1% during the 1st quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the company's stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE:CLX traded down $1.19 on Friday, reaching $124.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,299,586 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,873,422. The company has a 50-day moving average of $125.51 and a 200 day moving average of $137.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15. The stock has a market cap of $15.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.49. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $117.35 and a 12-month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.63. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.94 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 377.86% and a net margin of 11.40%. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.24 per share. This is an increase from Clorox's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 74.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on CLX shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Clorox from $135.00 to $138.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, August 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $143.36.

Clorox 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.