Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target Cut to $135.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) had its price target reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $142.00 to $135.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on Clorox and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $148.92.

Clorox Trading Down 1.0%

NYSE:CLX traded down $1.29 on Wednesday, reaching $126.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,376,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,409,949. Clorox has a 12-month low of $117.35 and a 12-month high of $171.37. 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 firm has a market cap of $15.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $128.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.83.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.74 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 9.89% and a return on equity of 324.23%. Clorox's quarterly revenue was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 2.5% in the first quarter. Sonora Investment Management Group LLC now owns 2,940 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its position in shares of Clorox by 0.6% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 13,266 shares of the company's stock worth $1,953,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Clorox by 4.4% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,768 shares of the company's stock worth $258,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Sfmg LLC grew its position in shares of Clorox by 2.8% during the first quarter. Sfmg LLC now owns 2,780 shares of the company's stock worth $409,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in shares of Clorox by 4.3% during the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 2,064 shares of the company's stock worth $304,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.