The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the thirteen brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, nine have assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $154.25.

CLX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Barclays decreased their target price on Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $1.74 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $138.54. 91,087 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,296,142. Clorox 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 quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $146.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.79. The firm has a market cap of $17.07 billion, a PE ratio of 37.85, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61.

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

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in shares of Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

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.