Victory Capital Management Inc. Cuts Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 5.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 342,923 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,631 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.28% of Clorox worth $50,495,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on CLX. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and set a $135.00 price target (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays set a $119.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Three 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $145.17.

Clorox Stock Down 1.1%

CLX traded down $1.36 during trading on Monday, hitting $127.01. 522,826 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,425,829. 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 12-month low of $117.35 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.81, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.51. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $127.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $141.06.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Clorox

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.