The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Position Cut by Retirement Systems of Alabama

Retirement Systems of Alabama trimmed its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 1.2% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 26,472 shares of the company’s stock after selling 328 shares during the quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama’s holdings in Clorox were worth $3,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CLX shares. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Barclays decreased their price target on Clorox from $134.00 to $129.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $153.00.

Insider Activity

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $546,280. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $119.46 on Thursday. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $119.41 and a one year high of $171.37. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $132.05 and a 200-day moving average of $145.95. The company has a market capitalization of $14.72 billion, a PE ratio of 21.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 13.07, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.74.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a net margin of 9.89% and a return on equity of 324.23%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.71 EPS. Clorox’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Clorox

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.