Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Buys 180,238 Shares of The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. significantly increased its stake in The Clorox Company by 974.3% in the first quarter, totaling approximately $29.26 million worth of shares.
• Clorox recently reported earnings of $2.87 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations and a revenue of $1.99 billion, marking a 4.5% year-over-year increase.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share, reflecting an increase from the previous dividend of $1.22, with a current dividend yield of 3.9%.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 974.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 198,738 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 180,238 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.16% of Clorox worth $29,264,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Clorox by 15.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 269,926 shares of the company's stock valued at $39,747,000 after buying an additional 36,352 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Clorox during the first quarter worth approximately $247,000. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Clorox during the first quarter worth approximately $399,000. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. acquired a new position in Clorox during the first quarter worth approximately $400,000. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its position in Clorox by 33.5% during the first quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 28,510 shares of the company's stock worth $4,198,000 after purchasing an additional 7,159 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

CLX stock traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $124.41. 482,961 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,663,226. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $116.53 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $124.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $132.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The company reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.24 by $0.63. Clorox had a return on equity of 377.86% and a net margin of 11.40%.The company had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company'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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th were issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 13th. This is a boost from Clorox's previous quarterly dividend of $1.22. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 76.07%.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In other news, COO Eric H. Reynolds sold 15,041 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief operating officer owned 54,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,711,475.38. This represents a 21.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on CLX. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $135.00 price target (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $138.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 5th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Finally, Barclays reduced 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $142.18.

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.