Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 18,500 The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 18,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,005,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 565,810 shares of the company's stock worth $91,893,000 after acquiring an additional 6,987 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Clorox by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 654,198 shares of the company's stock worth $106,248,000 after purchasing an additional 80,189 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 119.6% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,364 shares of the company's stock valued at $546,000 after buying an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,074 shares of the company's stock worth $662,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $134.81. 2,055,858 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,323,958. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $16.62 billion, a PE ratio of 36.83, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $141.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $153.29. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted 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). The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. Clorox's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.62%. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 87.61%.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CLX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. DA Davidson lowered their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $151.23.

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.