Leavell Investment Management Inc. Sells 500 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 5.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,351 shares of the company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $1,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the third quarter worth about $54,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Clorox by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 191,919 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,266,000 after buying an additional 10,149 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Clorox by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,865,000 after buying an additional 9,037 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 8.3% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 63,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,341,000 after acquiring an additional 4,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Clorox by 1.8% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 723,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,932,000 after acquiring an additional 13,038 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $148.66 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.40 billion, a PE ratio of 40.62, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $160.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $159.26. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its earnings results 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be paid a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is 133.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CLX shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.21.

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.