Wealthfront Advisers LLC Boosts Position in The Clorox Company $CLX

Wealthfront Advisers LLC raised its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 93.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,981 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 27,100 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $6,902,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,845,496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,902,569,000 after purchasing an additional 272,420 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in Clorox by 138.3% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,245,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $389,648,000 after purchasing an additional 1,883,465 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 2nd quarter worth $190,429,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,297,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $159,922,000 after buying an additional 136,135 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Clorox by 218.4% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 1,249,127 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,983,000 after buying an additional 856,873 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on CLX shares. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Clorox from $108.00 to $111.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $152.00 to $151.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $109.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Clorox from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $117.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber acquired 4,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $104.13 per share, with a total value of $416,520.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 13,000 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Trading Up 3.7%

Clorox stock opened at $125.96 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.03, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $15.23 billion, a PE ratio of 20.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.60 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $106.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $113.67. The Clorox Company has a one year low of $96.66 and a one year high of $159.04.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.43 by ($0.04). Clorox had a net margin of 11.17% and a return on equity of 383.01%. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.55 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $4.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Clorox’s payout ratio is 81.05%.

About Clorox

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.