Citigroup Lowers Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target to $150.00

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) had its price target reduced by research analysts at Citigroup from $165.00 to $150.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. Citigroup's target price would indicate a potential upside of 7.45% from the company's previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on CLX. DA Davidson dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $153.83.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of Clorox stock traded up $2.80 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $139.60. The company had a trading volume of 948,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,304,252. The stock has a market cap of $17.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.14, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.45. Clorox has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. MML Investors Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 9.7% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,959 shares of the company's stock worth $1,460,000 after purchasing an additional 792 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the 3rd quarter worth about $714,000. Diamant Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Clorox by 12.5% during the third quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $367,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC raised its position in Clorox by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 22,102 shares of the company's stock worth $3,742,000 after purchasing an additional 1,864 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 12.5% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 10,366 shares of the company's stock worth $1,689,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.