Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Boosts Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 11.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 802,237 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 85,529 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.65% of Clorox worth $109,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 1,715.5% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,461,207 shares of the company's stock valued at $199,411,000 after purchasing an additional 1,380,724 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $144,844,000. Nuance Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 150.6% in the second quarter. Nuance Investments LLC now owns 1,597,674 shares of the company's stock worth $218,035,000 after acquiring an additional 960,094 shares during the last quarter. Parsifal Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $128,245,000. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $135,630,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX traded down $0.44 on Tuesday, reaching $164.40. The company had a trading volume of 476,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,255,935. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $114.68 and a 52-week high of $169.09. The company has a market cap of $20.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $149.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.76.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.28. Clorox had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 281.12%. The company had revenue of $1.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 6.63 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 252.85%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $148.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays upped their target price on Clorox from $122.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 5th. Argus raised Clorox to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, BNP Paribas upgraded Clorox to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and twelve have given a hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $143.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the business's 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Clorox 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.