USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 15,442 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

USS Investment Management Ltd cut its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,723 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,442 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Clorox were worth $6,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Trading Down 2.7%

CLX stock opened at $131.90 on Thursday. 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 Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The company has a market cap of $16.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.04, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $140.26 and a 200-day moving average of $152.82.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.71 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.70%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.61%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CLX shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $151.23.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $546,280. This trade represents a ? increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% 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.