Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Given New $142.00 Price Target at Evercore ISI

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its target price cut by Evercore ISI from $145.00 to $142.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an underperform rating on the stock.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a sell rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. DA Davidson reissued a neutral rating and issued a $162.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Clorox from an underperform rating to a hold rating and set a $145.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $149.38.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX stock opened at $139.64 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $149.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.10. Clorox has a 12-month low of $114.68 and a 12-month high of $178.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 221.65, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.38. Clorox had a net margin of 1.09% and a return on equity of 319.41%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. Clorox’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Clorox will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is 761.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 308.5% in the first quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 192 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% 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.