Brokerages Set The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Target Price at $145.17

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $145.17.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on CLX shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Clorox from $151.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Clorox from $167.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 26th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $135.00 price target (down previously from $140.00) on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Barclays set a $119.00 price target on Clorox and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th.

Clorox Stock Up 1.3%

CLX opened at $131.44 on Monday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $117.35 and a fifty-two week high of $171.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $126.95 and its 200 day moving average is $140.67. The stock has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.51.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.57 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 9.89% and a return on equity of 324.23%. The business’s revenue was down 8.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $136.57 per share, for a total transaction of $546,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Clorox

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,573,076 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,293,135,000 after purchasing an additional 65,924 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,098,302 shares of the company’s stock valued at $501,925,000 after purchasing an additional 69,969 shares during the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in Clorox by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 2,344,408 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,761,000 after purchasing an additional 9,582 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $259,041,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Clorox by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,528,920 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,133,000 after buying an additional 34,655 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

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.