Swedbank AB Trims Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its Clorox stake by 15% in the fourth quarter, selling 11,386 shares and leaving it with 64,504 shares valued at about $6.5 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Evercore all maintained or cut price targets, and Clorox currently carries a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average target of $104.
• Clorox posted quarterly EPS of $1.64, topping estimates, and continues to pay a sizable dividend of $1.24 per share quarterly, for an annualized yield of about 5.4%.

Swedbank AB trimmed its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 15.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,504 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,386 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB owned about 0.05% of Clorox worth $6,504,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Clorox by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,434,277 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,039,946,000 after buying an additional 282,794 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Clorox by 23.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,995,590 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,656,000 after buying an additional 750,415 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its holdings in Clorox by 93.9% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 2,709,972 shares of the company's stock valued at $334,139,000 after buying an additional 1,312,471 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its holdings in Clorox by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company's stock valued at $214,564,000 after buying an additional 439,797 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Clorox by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,539,006 shares of the company's stock valued at $189,759,000 after buying an additional 70,783 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on CLX shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $102.00 to $85.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $91.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $104.00.

Clorox News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Clorox this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity showed strong bullish speculation, with traders buying 14,071 CLX call options on Friday, far above the typical daily volume. This may signal expectations for a rebound.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlighted Clorox as a high-yield dividend stock, noting its roughly 5.7% yield and its potential to become a Dividend King in 2027 if it continues raising payouts.
• Positive Sentiment: A director reportedly bought about $429,100 worth of Clorox shares, which investors often view as a sign of insider confidence.
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term performance commentary emphasized Clorox’s consistency as a consumer staples company, with steady dividends and resilience over the past decade, but without a clear new catalyst for near-term earnings. If You Had Invested $1,000 in Clorox a Decade Ago: A Prospective Dividend King’s Long-Term Payoff
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz LLP said it is investigating claims on behalf of Clorox investors, adding legal uncertainty that could weigh on the stock. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Investigates Claims On Behalf of Investors of The Clorox Company - CLX
• Negative Sentiment: Commentary noted that Clorox has fallen to an 11-year low, reflecting weaker investor confidence despite its dividend yield. Contrarian Take: This High-Yield Dividend Stock Is a Buy in May Despite Falling to an 11-Year Low

Insider Activity at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $1,544,760. This represents a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE CLX opened at $92.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $11.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.94, a P/E/G ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.59. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $84.70 and a one year high of $138.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $106.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.04.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 443.64% and a net margin of 11.18%.The company's quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 EPS. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd were given a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 22nd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.52%.

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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