The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Sees Large Decline in Short Interest

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest during the month of October. As of October 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,240,000 shares, a drop of 13.4% from the September 30th total of 3,740,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,210,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.7 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in Clorox in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 139.8% in the 2nd quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 223 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP raised its stake in Clorox by 99.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 229 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares during the period. Finally, Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in Clorox during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup increased their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $153.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Clorox from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $148.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $150.14.

Clorox Stock Down 0.6 %

CLX stock traded down $0.90 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $156.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,342,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,223,016. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. The company has a market capitalization of $19.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.41. Clorox has a one year low of $114.68 and a one year high of $169.09. The company's 50 day moving average is $161.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.82.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.28. Clorox had a return on equity of 281.12% and a net margin of 3.95%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Clorox will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.11%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 252.85%.

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.