Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Given New $154.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its target price cut by UBS Group from $176.00 to $154.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson cut their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Clorox from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $139.00 to $134.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Clorox currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $153.83.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $139.60 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.20 billion, a PE ratio of 38.14, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. Clorox has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $146.74 and its 200-day moving average is $156.63.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 earned $2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Clorox by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,507,152 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,518,517,000 after purchasing an additional 124,428 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Clorox by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,098,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,925,000 after acquiring an additional 69,969 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 9,582 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $259,041,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Clorox by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,494,265 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,684,000 after acquiring an additional 230,173 shares during the period. 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.