Morningstar Investment Management LLC Raises Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Morningstar Investment Management increased its Clorox stake by 131.8% in the fourth quarter, adding 35,506 shares and bringing its total holding to 62,454 shares worth about $6.3 million.
• Clorox reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.64 per share, topping estimates by $0.09, while revenue matched expectations at $1.67 billion. The company also reaffirmed FY 2026 guidance of $5.45 to $5.65 EPS.
• The company continues to offer a high dividend yield of about 5.2%, with a quarterly payout of $1.24 per share. Meanwhile, analysts remain cautious overall, with an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $103.40.

Morningstar Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 131.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 62,454 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,506 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.05% of Clorox worth $6,297,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Clorox by 93.9% in the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,709,972 shares of the company's stock worth $334,139,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312,471 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Clorox by 23.1% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,995,590 shares of the company's stock worth $492,656,000 after acquiring an additional 750,415 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Clorox by 6,907.9% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 749,703 shares of the company's stock worth $75,593,000 after acquiring an additional 739,005 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the second quarter worth about $71,856,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Clorox by 33.8% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company's stock worth $214,564,000 after acquiring an additional 439,797 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $94.97 on Monday. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $84.70 and a 1 year high of $132.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $99.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.48 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.65.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.61 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. Clorox's payout ratio is 80.52%.

Insider Activity

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,544,760. This represents a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on CLX. Evercore reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "sell" rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research 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 research report on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Clorox from $110.00 to $96.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane dropped their price target on Clorox from $128.00 to $97.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $103.40.

About Clorox

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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