The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,040,000 shares, an increase of 20.9% from the April 30th total of 4,170,000 shares. Approximately 4.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,620,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Clorox Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of CLX stock traded down $1.87 during trading on Thursday, hitting $127.78. 673,772 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,341,532. Clorox has a twelve month low of $127.19 and a twelve month high of $171.37. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $137.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $150.49.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for 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%. Clorox's revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.71 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. 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. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. reduced 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. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $151.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was acquired at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Clorox

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CLX. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Clorox by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company's stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 2.5% during the first quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,940 shares of the company's stock worth $433,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 0.6% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,266 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,953,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC raised its holdings in Clorox by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,768 shares of the company's stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sfmg LLC lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the company's stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.