CoreCap Advisors LLC Trims Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

CoreCap Advisors LLC cut its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,962 shares of the company’s stock after selling 82 shares during the period. CoreCap Advisors LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Down 2.2 %

NYSE:CLX opened at $134.79 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $142.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $154.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The Clorox Company has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.57 by ($0.12). Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. Clorox’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd were paid a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.62%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.61%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on CLX shares. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $140.00 target price on Clorox and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $151.23.

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.