KBC Group NV Boosts Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

KBC Group NV increased its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 688.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 587,679 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 513,171 shares during the period. KBC Group NV owned 0.48% of Clorox worth $86,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CLX. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $285,000. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 48,809 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,927,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $9,047,000. Versor Investments LP purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $763,000. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 64.0% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 884 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group dropped their price target on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $149.50.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE CLX opened at $119.09 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07. The business's 50 day moving average is $131.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.14. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $117.35 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.54.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a return on equity of 324.23% and a net margin of 9.89%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.

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