The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Stake Increased by Lecap Asset Management Ltd.

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. boosted its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 540.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,643 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,732 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Clorox were worth $2,745,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on CLX. Citigroup lowered their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $153.00.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $122.08 on Wednesday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $132.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $146.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.92, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $120.33 and a 52 week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a return on equity of 324.23% and a net margin of 9.89%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.71 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.

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