Royal Bank of Canada Has $146.97 Million Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 20.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,418,204 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 237,301 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada owned approximately 1.17% of Clorox worth $146,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in CLX. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth approximately $135,735,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,085,000 after purchasing an additional 884,751 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in shares of Clorox by 6,907.9% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 749,703 shares of the company’s stock worth $75,593,000 after buying an additional 739,005 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox during the second quarter worth $71,856,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in Clorox by 33.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,564,000 after buying an additional 439,797 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Clorox Stock Down 3.0%

CLX stock opened at $96.69 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.72. The company has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.84. The Clorox Company has a fifty-two week low of $84.70 and a fifty-two week high of $128.90.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 443.64% and a net margin of 11.18%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber bought 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 18,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,544,760. This trade represents a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Barclays raised their target price on Clorox from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on Clorox from $132.00 to $127.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $101.00.

Clorox 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.