Entropy Technologies LP Sells 3,767 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Entropy Technologies LP trimmed its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 35.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,825 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,767 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP's holdings in Clorox were worth $1,112,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 93.7% in the first quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 72,053 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,032,000 after purchasing an additional 34,864 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co grew its holdings in Clorox by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 141,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,705,000 after buying an additional 18,687 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Clorox by 257.5% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,228 shares of the company's stock worth $1,719,000 after buying an additional 8,087 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the third quarter worth $54,000. Finally, Raymond James & Associates lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 32.8% in the second quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 267,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,524,000 after acquiring an additional 66,149 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

Clorox stock traded up $0.38 on Thursday, hitting $165.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 774,950 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,241,837. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $162.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $147.21. The firm has a market cap of $20.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 57.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.41. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $169.09. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.36 by $0.50. Clorox had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 316.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is 170.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $174.00 to $187.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. BNP Paribas raised shares of Clorox to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on Clorox from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $155.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total value of $286,846.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This trade represents a 11.40 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.