Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Buys 8,333 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 315,982 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,333 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.26% of Clorox worth $51,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at $3,428,000. Leo Wealth LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 33.0% during the 4th quarter. Leo Wealth LLC now owns 3,514 shares of the company's stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 871 shares during the period. Consolidated Portfolio Review Corp acquired a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at $318,000. Vision Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at $201,000. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp raised its stake in Clorox by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 22,056 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,582,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clorox Stock Performance

CLX stock traded down $2.86 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $147.91. 1,318,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,333,562. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $159.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $159.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 40.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.42.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 29th. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on CLX shares. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Clorox from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.21.

About Clorox

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.