The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Reduce" by the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $155.00.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen upgraded Clorox from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Clorox from $148.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on Clorox from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the company from $174.00 to $187.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the second quarter valued at $30,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 139.8% in the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 223 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Clorox by 300.0% in the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Finally, Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Down 1.6 %

Clorox stock traded down $2.77 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $166.97. 1,217,064 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,054,507. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $163.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $150.61. Clorox has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.37. The company has a market cap of $20.67 billion, a PE ratio of 58.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.42.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.50. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.08% and a net margin of 4.78%. Clorox's revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Clorox will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be paid a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.92%. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 170.03%.

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.