The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Purchased by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 931,028 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 93,570 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.75% of Clorox worth $151,202,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 430,910 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,984,000 after acquiring an additional 27,513 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co raised its position in Clorox by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 155,886 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,317,000 after purchasing an additional 9,141 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 15.5% during the fourth quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 386,674 shares of the company's stock worth $62,800,000 after purchasing an additional 51,971 shares in the last quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at about $67,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CLX shares. Barclays decreased their price target on Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. DA Davidson decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $153.83.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX traded up $0.59 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $138.86. 1,361,464 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,302,630. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.63.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders 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 3.51%. Clorox's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.