Candriam S.C.A. Increases Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 16.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,376 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,179 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $2,497,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 191,919 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,266,000 after buying an additional 10,149 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Clorox by 43.4% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 29,865 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,865,000 after purchasing an additional 9,037 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 63,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,341,000 after purchasing an additional 4,839 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Clorox by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 723,906 shares of the company’s stock worth $117,932,000 after purchasing an additional 13,038 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Clorox by 26.3% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 59,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,736,000 after purchasing an additional 12,428 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE CLX opened at $151.11 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.61 billion, a PE ratio of 41.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $155.65 and its 200 day moving average is $160.47.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on CLX shares. DA Davidson decreased their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lifted their price target on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.62.

Clorox Company 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.