Clorox’s (CLX) “Neutral” Rating Reaffirmed at DA Davidson

DA Davidson reiterated their neutral rating on shares of Clorox (NYSE:CLX) in a report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $162.00 target price on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on CLX. Barclays decreased their price objective on Clorox from $148.00 to $136.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Clorox in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a sell rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $151.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an equal weight rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from an underperform rating to a hold rating and set a $145.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $148.63.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $142.29 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $150.40 and a 200-day moving average of $141.69. The firm has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a PE ratio of 225.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.89. Clorox has a twelve month low of $114.68 and a twelve month high of $178.21.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $1.08. Clorox had a net margin of 1.09% and a return on equity of 319.41%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Clorox will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 761.92%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Tyler Stone Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. O Dell Group LLC acquired a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.