Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 49.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,227 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,397 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Clorox were worth $4,584,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Clorox Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $0.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $131.76. The company had a trading volume of 2,492,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,341,934. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $129.19 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The stock has a market cap of $16.24 billion, a PE ratio of 36.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50-day moving average is $138.30 and its 200 day moving average is $151.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.12). The company 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%. The company's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price 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.