The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Receives $152.77 Consensus PT from Analysts

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the fourteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $151.23.

CLX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. DA Davidson cut 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. Citigroup dropped their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays decreased their price target 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. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th.

Clorox Trading Up 2.1%

CLX traded up $2.77 on Wednesday, reaching $137.53. 163,723 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,302,952. Clorox has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The company has a market cap of $16.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.67, 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. The company's 50 day moving average is $142.37 and its 200-day moving average is $154.03.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's payout ratio is presently 87.61%.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Clorox

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% 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.