Polymer Capital Management US LLC Makes New Investment in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Polymer Capital Management US LLC acquired a new stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,945 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $641,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CLX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Clorox by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,507,152 shares of the company's stock worth $2,518,517,000 after acquiring an additional 124,428 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,098,302 shares of the company's stock worth $501,925,000 after purchasing an additional 69,969 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $259,041,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in Clorox by 75.4% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,361,758 shares of the company's stock valued at $221,163,000 after buying an additional 585,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its position in Clorox by 42.6% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 1,032,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $165,816,000 after buying an additional 308,234 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $141.35. 1,249,590 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,295,815. The company has a market capitalization of $17.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $147.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.24.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is 133.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, DA Davidson reduced their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.75.

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.