Strs Ohio Cuts Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Strs Ohio lowered its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 808 shares during the quarter. Strs Ohio’s holdings in Clorox were worth $1,228,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 64.5% during the third quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 458.3% during the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX opened at $145.19 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37. The company has a market cap of $18.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 230.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.43. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $114.68 and a 12-month high of $178.21.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $1.08. Clorox had a return on equity of 319.41% and a net margin of 1.09%. The business had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.98 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Clorox’s payout ratio is presently 761.92%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CLX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. UBS Group raised their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Clorox in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “sell” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $148.63.

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.