The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Stock Holdings Reduced by Nuance Investments LLC

Nuance Investments LLC lowered its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 45.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 875,994 shares of the company's stock after selling 721,680 shares during the period. Clorox comprises 4.8% of Nuance Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Nuance Investments LLC owned approximately 0.71% of Clorox worth $142,708,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CLX. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 20,829 shares of the company's stock worth $3,189,000 after buying an additional 1,980 shares during the period. Seven Eight Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the first quarter worth approximately $358,000. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the first quarter valued at about $250,000. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its stake in Clorox by 15.2% during the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 141,622 shares of the company's stock valued at $21,705,000 after purchasing an additional 18,687 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,019,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of Clorox stock traded down $0.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $168.05. 1,131,294 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,243,088. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $169.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $162.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08.

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 firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 316.08%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 27.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 6.85 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, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. Clorox's payout ratio is currently 170.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on CLX. BNP Paribas raised Clorox to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Clorox from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $174.00 to $187.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Clorox from $148.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 11th. Barclays upped their price objective on Clorox from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Clorox from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and increased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Five 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $155.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clorox

In related news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total transaction of $286,846.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This represents a 11.40 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

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.