Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Given New $139.00 Price Target at Barclays

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) had its price target upped by Barclays from $137.00 to $139.00 in a report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an underweight rating on the stock.

CLX has been the topic of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a "sell" rating and a $122.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Clorox from $148.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Finally, DA Davidson reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $153.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $150.29.

Clorox Trading Up 2.9 %

CLX stock traded up $4.56 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $163.11. The stock had a trading volume of 2,012,859 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,239,025. The company's 50-day moving average price is $161.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The firm has a market cap of $20.20 billion, a PE ratio of 56.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.41. Clorox has a 12-month low of $121.76 and a 12-month high of $169.09.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.50. Clorox had a return on equity of 292.08% and a net margin of 4.78%. The business had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Clorox will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is presently 170.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1,525.7% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 65,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,046,000 after purchasing an additional 61,576 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC increased its position 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 worth $11,032,000 after acquiring an additional 34,864 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 15.2% during the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 141,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,705,000 after acquiring an additional 18,687 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 257.5% in the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 11,228 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,719,000 after acquiring an additional 8,087 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Clorox by 32.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 267,632 shares of the company's stock worth $36,524,000 after purchasing an additional 66,149 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

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.