J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Decreases Stake in The Clorox Company $CLX

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. cut its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 53.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,352 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,976 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $537,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Clorox by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 335,514 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,285,000 after buying an additional 27,639 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Clorox in the second quarter worth about $8,568,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 64.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 25,732 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,173,000 after acquiring an additional 10,065 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in Clorox during the second quarter worth approximately $328,000. Finally, Brookstone Capital Management raised its position in Clorox by 1,395.4% during the third quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 94,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,631,000 after purchasing an additional 88,024 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Up 1.6%

NYSE:CLX opened at $121.47 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $14.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.59. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $96.66 and a twelve month high of $159.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.03. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $106.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $113.58.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 383.01%. The business’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.55 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be issued a $1.24 dividend. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. Clorox’s payout ratio is 81.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on CLX shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Clorox from $125.00 to $136.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Clorox from $152.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Clorox from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane reduced their price objective on shares of Clorox from $103.00 to $101.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $117.93.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $104.13 per share, with a total value of $416,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 13,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,353,690. The trade was a 44.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Clorox Profile

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company’s flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox’s diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.