The Clorox Company $CLX Shares Purchased by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. significantly increased its stake in The Clorox Company, boosting its holdings by 1,215.5% during the first quarter, reaching a total of 52,134 shares valued at approximately $7.68 million.
• Clorox reported strong quarterly earnings with $2.87 earnings per share, surpassing analysts' expectations and reflecting a 4.5% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $1.24 per share, indicating growth from the previous $1.22 and showcasing a consistent commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 1,215.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,134 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,171 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Clorox were worth $7,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC increased 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 valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 0.6% in the first 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 last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.4% in the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Sfmg LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 2.8% in the first quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $409,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.3% in the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,064 shares of the company's stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX traded down $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $123.75. 1,510,129 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,668,850. The business's 50-day moving average price is $124.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $132.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.15, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $116.53 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The company has a market capitalization of $15.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 0.52.

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

Clorox Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on CLX. UBS Group cut their price target on Clorox from $150.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Clorox from $150.00 to $137.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 1st. 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 report on Thursday, June 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Clorox from $133.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company 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.