The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Receives $159.62 Average Price Target from Brokerages

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Reduce" from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $159.62.

CLX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Clorox by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,865 shares of the company's stock worth $4,865,000 after purchasing an additional 9,037 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Clorox by 8.3% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 63,476 shares of the company's stock valued at $10,341,000 after acquiring an additional 4,839 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Clorox by 1.8% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 723,906 shares of the company's stock worth $117,932,000 after acquiring an additional 13,038 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in Clorox by 26.3% in the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 59,766 shares of the company's stock worth $9,736,000 after purchasing an additional 12,428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $204,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $144.88. 722,957 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,213,064. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $17.85 billion, a PE ratio of 39.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. Clorox has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $153.10 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.87.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders 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 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.33%.

Clorox Company 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.