The Clorox Company $CLX Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management S.A. significantly reduced its holdings in The Clorox Company by 78.6%, selling 201,769 shares and leaving it with 55,045 shares valued at $6.6 million.
• Recent analyst reports show a trend of lowered target prices for Clorox, with Citigroup adjusting their target from $140 to $135 and Barclays setting it as low as $119.
• The Clorox Company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.24 per share, representing a 4.1% dividend yield and a payout ratio of 76.07%.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. trimmed its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 78.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,045 shares of the company's stock after selling 201,769 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Clorox were worth $6,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in Clorox in the first quarter valued at $35,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 239.1% in the first quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 295 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc boosted its holdings in Clorox by 140.7% in the first quarter. Roble Belko & Company Inc now owns 361 shares of the company's stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at $63,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CLX shares. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $135.00 target price (down from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $129.00 to $119.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 26th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $134.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $138.00 to $130.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $142.18.

Clorox Stock Up 0.4%

CLX stock opened at $120.43 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.52. 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 moving average of $123.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.86.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Eric H. Reynolds sold 15,041 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.78, for a total transaction of $1,861,774.98. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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