Essex Financial Services Inc. Buys New Shares in The Clorox Company $CLX

Essex Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 6,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $718,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CLX. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in Clorox by 4.0% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,970,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Clorox by 253.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 10,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,532,000 after acquiring an additional 7,465 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Clorox by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,006,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 173.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,491 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 7,924 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 16,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after purchasing an additional 3,352 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CLX. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays lowered their price target on Clorox from $102.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Clorox from $110.00 to $96.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, May 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $103.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 5,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 18,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,544,760. This trade represents a 38.46% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of CLX opened at $97.15 on Friday. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $84.70 and a 52 week high of $132.03. The firm has a market cap of $11.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $104.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.09. Clorox had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 443.64%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 5.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Company 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.