Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target Cut to $132.00

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its target price reduced by Barclays from $136.00 to $132.00 in a research report report published on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an underweight rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on CLX. Morgan Stanley restated an equal weight rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Clorox from $159.00 to $158.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from an underperform rating to a hold rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $146.43.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX traded down $1.44 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $138.23. The company had a trading volume of 2,036,238 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,340,454. The company has a market capitalization of $17.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.90. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.08. Clorox has a 1-year low of $114.68 and a 1-year high of $176.24.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.38. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 302.49%. The firm’s revenue was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. Analysts expect that Clorox will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 248.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Clorox by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,982,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services boosted its stake in Clorox by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Clorox by 1.4% in the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $672,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Clorox by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 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.