Andra AP fonden Grows Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Andra AP fonden raised its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 54.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 91,200 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,100 shares during the period. Andra AP fonden owned approximately 0.07% of Clorox worth $12,446,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Innealta Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, First United Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX stock opened at $166.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $144.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.97. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $114.68 and a one year high of $167.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 281.12% and a net margin of 3.95%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 6.56 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 14th were given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This is an increase from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is 252.85%.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In other Clorox news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total transaction of $286,846.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,229,719.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CLX. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a “sell” rating and a $122.00 target price for the company. Citigroup increased their target price on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. DA Davidson restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $153.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Argus upgraded Clorox to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $143.50.

Clorox 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.