Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 1,457,200 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Van ECK Associates Corp cut its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 97.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,517 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,457,200 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Clorox were worth $5,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the third quarter worth about $54,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CLX has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $158.21.

Clorox Price Performance

NYSE:CLX traded up $4.34 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $157.41. 2,375,494 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,353,779. The business's 50-day moving average price is $157.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.63. 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 company has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 43.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.42. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox 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.