Milestone Asset Management LLC Acquires New Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Milestone Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,891 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,015,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CLX. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Clorox by 22.2% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,116 shares of the company's stock valued at $182,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the period. Swedbank AB increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 48,984 shares of the company's stock worth $7,955,000 after purchasing an additional 7,068 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the company's stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 304 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $82,000. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 895 shares of the company's stock valued at $145,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of CLX traded down $1.72 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $127.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 921,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,342,553. The company's 50-day moving average is $137.40 and its 200-day moving average is $150.49. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.19 and a 52-week high of $171.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.95, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted 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 firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. The company's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on CLX shares. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Clorox has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $151.23.

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.