Royal Bank of Canada Lowers Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Royal Bank of Canada lowered its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,996,481 shares of the company's stock after selling 99,680 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned about 1.61% of Clorox worth $324,248,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in shares of Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE CLX traded up $0.69 on Tuesday, hitting $135.53. 1,678,112 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,326,272. The business's fifty day moving average is $140.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.09. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.03, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 earnings per share. Clorox's revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 87.61%.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber acquired 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the director now 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on CLX shares. Barclays lowered their price objective on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.23.

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.