Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target Cut to $159.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its price objective decreased by UBS Group from $164.00 to $159.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CLX. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $148.00 to $136.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $151.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a sell rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $159.00 to $158.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from an underperform rating to a hold rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four investment 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, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $149.38.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $139.64 on Wednesday. Clorox has a 1 year low of $114.68 and a 1 year high of $178.21. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $149.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.10. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $17.33 billion, a PE ratio of 221.65, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.43.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 1.09% and a return on equity of 319.41%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.51 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Fortitude Family Office LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 308.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.