Empowered Funds LLC Purchases 24,360 Shares of The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC significantly increased its stake in The Clorox Company by 109.9%, owning a total of 46,534 shares valued at approximately $6.85 million after purchasing 24,360 additional shares.
• The Clorox Company recently reported a quarterly earnings per share of $2.87, surpassing analysts' expectations and reflecting a 4.5% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Clorox has increased its quarterly dividend to $1.24, up from $1.22, indicating a strong commitment to returning value to shareholders amidst a 76.07% dividend payout ratio.

Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 109.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 46,534 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 24,360 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Clorox were worth $6,852,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of CLX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,573,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,293,135,000 after buying an additional 65,924 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Clorox by 2.3% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,528,920 shares of the company's stock worth $225,133,000 after purchasing an additional 34,655 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake 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 stake 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. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 118.8% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,085,661 shares of the company's stock valued at $159,699,000 after purchasing an additional 589,544 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

Clorox stock opened at $123.35 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $124.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $132.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $116.53 and a 12-month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.63. Clorox had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 377.86%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.950-6.30 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th were given a $1.24 dividend. This is a boost from Clorox's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is presently 76.07%.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other Clorox news, COO Eric H. Reynolds sold 15,041 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.78, for a total value of $1,861,774.98. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 54,221 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,711,475.38. This trade represents a 21.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Barclays cut their price objective on Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $138.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 5th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus 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.

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