Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Cuts Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. cut its stake in The Clorox Company by 48.4% in Q4, selling 304,270 shares and retaining 324,751 shares (about 0.27% of CLX) worth roughly $32.7 million.
• Clorox reported Q4 EPS of $1.39 (missed by $0.04) with revenue of $1.67 billion (down 0.8% YoY), and announced a $1.24 quarterly dividend (annualized yield ~4.8%), ex-dividend April 22 and payable May 8.
• Analyst sentiment is weak — MarketBeat shows an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $115.93 after multiple firms lowered price targets, with the broker breakdown at 1 Buy, 12 Hold and 4 Sell.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lessened its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 48.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 324,751 shares of the company's stock after selling 304,270 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned approximately 0.27% of Clorox worth $32,745,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CLX. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,434,277 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,946,000 after acquiring an additional 282,794 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 23.1% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 93.9% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 33.8% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,539,006 shares of the company's stock worth $189,759,000 after acquiring an additional 70,783 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $103.44 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.03. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $96.66 and a 12 month high of $143.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $110.66.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.04). Clorox had a return on equity of 383.01% and a net margin of 11.17%.The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.55 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a $1.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 22nd. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.8%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is 81.05%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $132.00 to $115.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Clorox from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $125.00 to $110.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $121.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $152.00 to $151.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $115.93.

Clorox Profile

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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