ProShare Advisors LLC Sells 150,257 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

ProShare Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,198,876 shares of the company's stock after selling 150,257 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.97% of Clorox worth $194,709,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CLX. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 151,257 shares of the company's stock worth $24,641,000 after acquiring an additional 9,720 shares during the period. Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 26,839 shares of the company's stock worth $4,359,000 after acquiring an additional 1,607 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 64.9% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 2,432 shares of the company's stock worth $395,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth about $1,566,000. Finally, R.H. Investment Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $325,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:CLX traded up $1.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $136.31. 3,182,936 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,321,018. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.37. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $141.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.32. 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 firm has a market cap of $16.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.24, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.58%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is currently 87.61%.

Insider Activity at Clorox

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on CLX shares. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price target on shares of Clorox and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $151.23.

Clorox 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.