The Clorox Company $CLX Stock: M&G PLC Raises Position

M&G PLC raised its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 67.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 75,295 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,325 shares during the period. M&G PLC owned about 0.06% of Clorox worth $6,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CLX. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Clorox by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the company’s stock valued at $145,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in Clorox by 32.3% in the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 565 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Eastern Bank grew its stake in Clorox by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 5,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $981,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its holdings in Clorox by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $106.36 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $87.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.61. The Clorox Company has a 1-year low of $79.12 and a 1-year high of $128.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.91, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 0.59.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.48. The business had revenue of $1.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.88 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 608.30%. The business’s revenue was up 33.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 5.75 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 28th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 89.93%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CLX shares. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Zacks Research cut shares of Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and set a $74.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, November 3rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $88.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, November 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Clorox has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $93.79.

Insider Transactions at Clorox

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre Breber bought 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $100.06 per share, for a total transaction of $400,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,201,320. This trade represents a 22.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Clorox

The Clorox Company is a consumer products company founded in 1913 and headquartered in Oakland, California. It makes and markets products for household cleaning, food, water filtration, personal care and pet care. Its portfolio includes Clorox disinfecting and cleaning products, Glad trash bags and food-storage products, Kingsford charcoal, Brita water filters, Hidden Valley dressings and sauces, Burt’s Bees personal-care products, and Fresh Step cat litter. The company also sells products under brands such as Pine-Sol and Liquid-Plumr.