Renaissance Technologies LLC Grows Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 21.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 697,967 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 120,900 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned approximately 0.56% of Clorox worth $113,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Clorox by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company's stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. HCR Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Clorox by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 6,870 shares of the company's stock worth $1,116,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. lifted its position in Clorox by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,624 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,238,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday. DA Davidson decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $156.75.

Clorox Stock Performance

Clorox stock traded down $0.77 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $140.67. 448,781 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,458,683. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion, a PE ratio of 38.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. 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's 50-day moving average is $147.39 and its 200-day moving average is $157.21. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.