The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Bought by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 39.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 188,627 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 53,402 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.15% of Clorox worth $30,635,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company's stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. HCR Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in Clorox by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 6,870 shares of the company's stock worth $1,116,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company's stock valued at $218,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 3,272 shares of the company's stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of Clorox stock traded down $0.48 on Thursday, hitting $139.34. The stock had a trading volume of 225,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,288,441. The stock has a market cap of $17.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37. The company's 50 day moving average price is $147.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $157.56.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on CLX shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Barclays decreased their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $159.00.

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.