iA Global Asset Management Inc. Makes New Investment in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

iA Global Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 17,042 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,768,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its stake in Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Clorox by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. DA Davidson reduced their price target on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.62.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $145.46 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $153.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.87. The company has a market cap of $17.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. 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 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Clorox’s payout ratio is 133.33%.

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.