Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. Invests $1.90 Million in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Measured Risk Portfolios Inc. purchased a new stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 11,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,897,000. Clorox makes up about 2.0% of Measured Risk Portfolios Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,507,152 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,518,517,000 after acquiring an additional 124,428 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,098,302 shares of the company's stock valued at $501,925,000 after acquiring an additional 69,969 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,344,408 shares of the company's stock valued at $380,761,000 after acquiring an additional 9,582 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $259,041,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Clorox by 18.2% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,494,265 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,684,000 after acquiring an additional 230,173 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Trading Up 2.5%

NYSE CLX opened at $138.08 on Tuesday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $142.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $153.90. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The stock has a market cap of $17.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.73, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.53%. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 87.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on shares of Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $151.23.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $546,280. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.

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