Cerity Partners LLC Acquires 3,594 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 6.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 56,048 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,594 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $9,105,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 163.8% during the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $140.73 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $147.53 and a 200-day moving average of $157.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted 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 return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CLX shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $161.00 to $155.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. DA Davidson reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.00.

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.