Raymond James Financial Inc. Buys Shares of 233,574 The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 233,574 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $37,935,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned about 0.19% of Clorox at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CLX. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Clorox by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 565,810 shares of the company's stock valued at $91,893,000 after acquiring an additional 6,987 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $204,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 119.6% during the fourth quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,364 shares of the company's stock worth $546,000 after buying an additional 1,832 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $1,566,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Clorox by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,074 shares of the company's stock valued at $662,000 after purchasing an additional 646 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Clorox from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. DA Davidson reduced their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $153.83.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of Clorox stock traded up $2.80 during trading on Friday, reaching $139.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 948,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,304,252. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $146.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $156.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.14, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS 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 last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

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

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.