GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC Decreases Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• GRIMES & Co. Wealth Management cut its Clorox stake by 40.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 26,924 shares and leaving it with 39,544 shares worth about $3.99 million.
• Analysts remain cautious on CLX: the stock’s consensus rating is now “Reduce” with an average price target of $104, while several firms reiterated hold or sell views and lowered or maintained targets.
• Clorox continues to show mixed signals operationally, posting better-than-expected quarterly earnings and a 5.4% dividend yield, but it also faces legal uncertainty from an investor investigation and pressure from a stock price near multi-year lows.

GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 40.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 39,544 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,924 shares during the period. GRIMES & Co WEALTH MANAGEMENT LLC's holdings in Clorox were worth $3,987,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CLX. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Clorox by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,380 shares of the company's stock worth $1,970,000 after buying an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Clorox by 253.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 10,407 shares of the company's stock worth $1,532,000 after buying an additional 7,465 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Clorox by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,032 shares of the company's stock worth $3,006,000 after buying an additional 424 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Clorox by 173.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,491 shares of the company's stock worth $1,500,000 after buying an additional 7,924 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in Clorox by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 16,141 shares of the company's stock worth $1,938,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CLX. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $91.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, May 1st. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Clorox from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "sell" rating and set a $83.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Clorox from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Clorox from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $104.00.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Clorox

Here are the key news stories impacting Clorox this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed strong bullish speculation, with traders buying 14,071 CLX call options on Friday, far above the typical daily volume. This may signal expectations for a rebound.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Clorox as a high-yield dividend stock, noting its roughly 5.7% yield and its potential to become a Dividend King in 2027 if it continues raising payouts.
• Positive Sentiment: A director reportedly bought about $429,100 worth of Clorox shares, which investors often view as a sign of insider confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance commentary emphasized Clorox’s consistency as a consumer staples company, with steady dividends and resilience over the past decade, but without a clear new catalyst for near-term earnings. If You Had Invested $1,000 in Clorox a Decade Ago: A Prospective Dividend King’s Long-Term Payoff
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating claims on behalf of Clorox investors, adding legal uncertainty that could weigh on the stock. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of The Clorox Company - CLX
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary noted that Clorox has fallen to an 11-year low, reflecting weaker investor confidence despite its dividend yield. Contrarian Take: This High-Yield Dividend Stock Is a Buy in May Despite Falling to an 11-Year Low

Clorox Stock Down 0.1%

Clorox stock opened at $92.04 on Friday. The Clorox Company has a fifty-two week low of $84.70 and a fifty-two week high of $138.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $11.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.94, a PEG ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $106.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.04.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted 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. Clorox had a return on equity of 443.64% and a net margin of 11.18%.The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 22nd. Clorox's payout ratio is presently 80.52%.

Clorox Company 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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