Clorox Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:CLX)

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 2,976 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 47% compared to the average daily volume of 2,024 call options.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $141.80 on Wednesday. Clorox has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.43. The firm has a market cap of $17.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Clorox by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,507,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,518,517,000 after buying an additional 124,428 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,182,109 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,332,947,000 after purchasing an additional 245,525 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Clorox by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,098,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,925,000 after purchasing an additional 69,969 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Clorox by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,344,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,761,000 after buying an additional 9,582 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at about $259,041,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CLX. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Clorox has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.62.

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.