The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Sold by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth lessened its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 36.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,112 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,307 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Clorox were worth $1,924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CLX. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth $204,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 80.4% in the fourth quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,372 shares of the company's stock valued at $710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,949 shares during the period. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $2,245,000. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its position in Clorox by 22.4% during the fourth quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 1,590 shares of the company's stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 291 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC purchased a new position in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,468,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,280. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CLX. Barclays lowered their price target on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $151.23.

Clorox Trading Up 0.5%

Clorox stock traded up $0.69 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $135.53. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,678,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,325,369. The stock's fifty day moving average is $140.80 and its 200 day moving average is $153.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.61%.

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.