Avanza Fonder AB Purchases Shares of 13,825 The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 13,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,245,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 99.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 229 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Clorox in the third quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

CLX traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $160.31. 937,465 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 960,748. The company's 50-day moving average is $164.25 and its 200 day moving average is $156.54. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.84 billion, a PE ratio of 55.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 316.08%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 6.87 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 29th. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 170.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CLX. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $139.00 to $130.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. StockNews.com cut shares of Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $174.00 to $187.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Clorox from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $157.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Clorox from $167.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.54.

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.