MQS Management LLC Takes $519,000 Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

MQS Management LLC bought a new position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 3,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $519,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Clorox by 2.5% in the first quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,940 shares of the company's stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,953,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its position in shares of Clorox by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,624 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 9,271 shares of the company's stock worth $1,506,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Financial Avengers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Financial Avengers Inc. now owns 457 shares of the company's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of CLX opened at $126.55 on Monday. The business's 50 day moving average is $128.28 and its 200 day moving average is $142.29. 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 Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $117.35 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The company has a market capitalization of $15.60 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on CLX. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. 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.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $148.92.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 purchase, the director directly owned 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.

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