HCR Wealth Advisors Raises Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

HCR Wealth Advisors lifted its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,870 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Clorox were worth $1,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Clorox during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its position in Clorox by 99.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Clorox in the third quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $158.43 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $19.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.42. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08. The company’s 50-day moving average is $164.48 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.16.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.50. The firm had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.64 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 316.08%. Clorox’s revenue was up 27.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.49 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 6.85 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be paid a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 29th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 170.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CLX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $170.00 in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Clorox from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $157.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Clorox from $153.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Barclays raised their price objective on Clorox from $137.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $174.00 to $187.00 in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $157.46.

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.