UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC Acquires 123,200 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 12.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,115,772 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 123,200 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned approximately 0.90% of Clorox worth $181,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,624 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,238,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 3,272 shares of the company's stock valued at $531,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,180 shares of the company's stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Clorox stock opened at $130.93 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $139.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $152.60. The company has a market cap of $16.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The Clorox Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.23.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber acquired 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company 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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