Swedbank AB Boosts Stake in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Swedbank AB increased its stake in The Clorox Company by 18% in the second quarter, owning 192,504 shares valued at approximately $23.1 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Clorox reported earnings of $2.87 per share for the last quarter, surpassing analyst expectations and showcasing a revenue increase of 4.5% compared to the previous year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share, with an annualized payout of $4.96 and a yield of 4.1%, set to be paid on November 6th to stockholders of record.

Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 18.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 192,504 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 29,420 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned 0.16% of Clorox worth $23,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Clorox by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,573,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,293,135,000 after purchasing an additional 65,924 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Clorox by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,528,920 shares of the company's stock valued at $225,133,000 after purchasing an additional 34,655 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,361,710 shares of the company's stock valued at $200,512,000 after buying an additional 94,371 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Clorox by 3.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,157,257 shares of the company's stock worth $170,406,000 after buying an additional 41,485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 118.8% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,085,661 shares of the company's stock worth $159,699,000 after buying an additional 589,544 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $119.64. The company had a trading volume of 762,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,680,869. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $116.53 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $123.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.93. The company has a market capitalization of $14.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.35, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.63. Clorox had a net margin of 11.40% and a return on equity of 377.86%. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.950-6.30 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 22nd. Clorox's payout ratio is presently 76.07%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Eric H. Reynolds sold 15,041 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.78, for a total value of $1,861,774.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 54,221 shares in the company, valued at $6,711,475.38. This trade represents a 21.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CLX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. UBS Group dropped 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. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $135.00 price target (down from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $142.18.

Clorox 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.