The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Reduce" from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have issued a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $149.50.

CLX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th.

Clorox Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of CLX traded up $1.08 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $119.09. 5,265,025 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,384,849. Clorox has a 12-month low of $117.35 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07. The company has a market cap of $14.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.54.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a return on equity of 324.23% and a net margin of 9.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.71 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the 1st quarter worth approximately $399,000. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the first quarter valued at approximately $400,000. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 33.5% during the first quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 28,510 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,198,000 after purchasing an additional 7,159 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 19.0% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 25,582 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,767,000 after purchasing an additional 4,085 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in shares of Clorox by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 565,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,893,000 after purchasing an additional 6,987 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.