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

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management S.A. reduced its Clorox stake by 84.1% in the first quarter, selling 230,072 shares and leaving it with 43,602 shares valued at about $4.5 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Clorox has an average “Reduce” rating, with one Buy, eleven Hold, and five Sell ratings, and a consensus price target of $103.40.
• Clorox reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings of $1.64 per share, and director Pierre R. Breber recently bought 5,000 shares, signaling insider confidence even as the stock trades below its 200-day average.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. cut its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 84.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,602 shares of the company's stock after selling 230,072 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Clorox were worth $4,518,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Clorox by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,434,277 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,946,000 after purchasing an additional 282,794 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Clorox by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,085,000 after purchasing an additional 884,751 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,172,233 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,613,000 after buying an additional 10,060 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Clorox by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,136,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,244,000 after buying an additional 426,433 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company's stock worth $214,564,000 after buying an additional 439,797 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CLX has been the topic of several recent research reports. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $102.00 to $85.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $139.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $103.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 5,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were purchased 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 owned 18,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,544,760. This represents a 38.46% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.63% of the company's stock.

Clorox Price Performance

Clorox stock opened at $97.10 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.56. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $84.70 and a 12-month high of $132.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.65. The firm's 50-day moving average is $94.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $104.42.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 443.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Company Profile

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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