Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. Boosts Stake in The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. raised its stake in The Clorox Company by 250.6% in Q4, ending the quarter with 55,064 shares after buying 39,360 more, a position worth about $5.55 million; overall institutional ownership of CLX stands at 78.53%.
• Clorox beat Q3 EPS estimates ($1.64) but cut FY‑2026 guidance, triggering a sharp selloff, multiple broker price‑target downgrades, shares falling to 52‑week lows, and a shareholder investigation into possible securities‑fraud claims.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.24 (annualized $4.96) for a 5.7% yield

Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. grew its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 250.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 55,064 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 39,360 shares during the quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Clorox were worth $5,552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,297,016 shares of the company's stock worth $159,922,000 after buying an additional 136,135 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 64.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 25,732 shares of the company's stock worth $3,173,000 after buying an additional 10,065 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 928,654 shares of the company's stock worth $114,506,000 after buying an additional 197,330 shares during the last quarter. Eliot Finkel Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,697,000. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,115,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Clorox

Here are the key news stories impacting Clorox this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results beat on the bottom line as cost cuts and lower spending lifted non‑GAAP EPS to $1.64, above estimates, showing operational leverage despite flat sales. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management is emphasizing innovation and strategic moves to drive future growth — a narrative investors may watch if execution improves. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: The company provided Q3 filings, an earnings call transcript and a formal press release; these sources contain details on segment trends and cost actions for modeling. Read More. • Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Clorox trimmed FY‑2026 guidance (EPS and sales), citing weaker demand and market‑share headwinds — management’s guidance was well below consensus, which is the main catalyst for the selloff. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Several large brokers cut price targets and shifted to neutral/underweight after the update (Morgan Stanley, Citi, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo), increasing short‑term selling pressure. Read More. • Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: A shareholder law firm announced an investigation into possible securities‑fraud claims related to Clorox’s statements, adding regulatory/legal risk that can weigh on sentiment. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares hit new 52‑week lows and traded at much higher volumes, signaling broad repositioning by investors and momentum that could continue until clarity on sales/margin recovery arrives. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CLX. TD Cowen upped their price target on Clorox from $98.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "hold" rating and issued a $91.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday. Barclays set a $85.00 target price on Clorox in a research note on Friday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Clorox from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Clorox from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $104.93.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX opened at $87.08 on Friday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $108.21 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.03. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $86.00 and a 12 month high of $140.24. The company has a market cap of $10.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.59.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.09. Clorox had a return on equity of 379.46% and a net margin of 11.18%.The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. The company's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 5.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.05%.

Clorox 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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