Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Hits New 12-Month High at $168.82

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $153.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, September 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Clorox from $150.00 to $148.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $122.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $122.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.50.

Clorox Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $20.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $146.16 and a 200-day moving average of $143.24.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.28. The business had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 281.12%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 30th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 13th. This is a positive change from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 252.85%.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In related news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total value of $286,846.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 13,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CLX. American Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 2nd quarter worth $273,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the 2nd quarter worth $283,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,964,000. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 3.8% during the second quarter. Birmingham Capital Management Co. Inc. AL now owns 8,602 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,174,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SPC Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 2.2% in the second quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 3,485 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.