Man Group plc Purchases 346,449 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Man Group plc raised its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 154.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 570,503 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 346,449 shares during the period. Man Group plc’s holdings in Clorox were worth $92,655,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of Clorox stock opened at $136.46 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $141.91 and a 200 day moving average of $153.78. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a market cap of $16.82 billion, a PE ratio of 37.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.71 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors 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 3.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 87.61%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $136.57 per share, with a total value of $546,280.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $546,280. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CLX shares. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Clorox from $176.00 to $154.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Evercore ISI set a $140.00 price objective on Clorox and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $151.23.

Clorox Company Profile

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.