KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Has $6.42 Million Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 43,624 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Clorox were worth $6,424,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 1st quarter valued at about $247,000. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $399,000. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. acquired a new stake in Clorox in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $400,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC grew its holdings in Clorox by 33.5% in the 1st quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 28,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,198,000 after buying an additional 7,159 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Clorox by 19.0% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 25,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,767,000 after buying an additional 4,085 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director owned 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Clorox Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Clorox stock traded down $0.62 during trading on Friday, reaching $130.80. 1,287,038 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,776,629. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $117.35 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $126.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group lowered their target price on Clorox from $150.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Barclays lowered their target price on Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Clorox from $142.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $135.00 price objective (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $144.83.

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.