Alerus Financial NA Sells 1,436 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Alerus Financial NA lessened its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 56,056 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,436 shares during the quarter. Alerus Financial NA’s holdings in Clorox were worth $9,104,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth approximately $204,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 119.6% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,364 shares of the company’s stock worth $546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,832 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth about $1,566,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,028,333 shares of the company’s stock worth $491,713,000 after acquiring an additional 33,970 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $145.70 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $151.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.22. The company has a market capitalization of $17.95 billion, a PE ratio of 39.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current 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 given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on CLX shares. DA Davidson decreased their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com cut shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.50.

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.