Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Hits New 52-Week High at $168.82

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $168.82 and last traded at $166.93, with a volume of 64704 shares. The stock had previously closed at $166.27.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CLX shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $153.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, September 6th. BNP Paribas raised shares of Clorox to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 6th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Clorox from $122.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $150.00 to $148.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Six 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, Clorox has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.50.

Clorox Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.63. The business has a 50 day moving average of $146.16 and a 200 day moving average of $143.24. The company has a market cap of $20.55 billion, a PE ratio of 86.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.40.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced 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. Clorox had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 281.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. As a group, research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 6.63 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were paid a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This is a boost from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 252.85%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Trading of Clorox

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $101,000. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 23,244 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,314,000 after purchasing an additional 2,222 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,273 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,604,000 after buying an additional 435 shares during the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 13.4% in the 4th quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 3,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $564,000 after buying an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ING Groep NV raised its position in Clorox by 170.8% in the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 1,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $210,000 after buying an additional 931 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently 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.