The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Reduce" from Analysts

Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of "Reduce" by the fifteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $158.21.

CLX has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen upgraded Clorox from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com cut Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays boosted 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $4.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $157.41. 2,375,494 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,353,779. The firm has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 43.01, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.42. 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 $157.87 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.63. Clorox has a 12 month low of $127.60 and a 12 month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last posted 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 quarter last year, the business earned $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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Insight Folios Inc raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.0% in the third quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 2,195 shares of the company's stock valued at $358,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 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 valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Clorox by 1.0% during the fourth 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 last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Clorox by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,823 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 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.