The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Position Increased by Townsend & Associates Inc

Townsend & Associates Inc boosted its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 11,810 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Townsend & Associates Inc’s holdings in Clorox were worth $1,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in CLX. Fortitude Family Office LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management lifted its position in Clorox by 64.5% in the 3rd quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. raised its position in Clorox by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 458.3% in the fourth quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

NYSE:CLX traded up $1.41 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.83. 270,833 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,259,639. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $114.68 and a 12-month high of $170.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73. The company has a market cap of $17.61 billion, a PE ratio of 73.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.44. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $148.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.67.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 302.49% and a net margin of 3.33%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.51 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.38%. Clorox’s payout ratio is 248.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup cut their price objective on Clorox from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Clorox from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Clorox from $159.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Clorox from $136.00 to $132.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $146.43.

Clorox 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.