PFG Investments LLC Grows Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 17.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,926 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 587 shares during the period. PFG Investments LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $601,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Northwest Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Core Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. First United Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of CLX traded up $2.44 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $148.92. 1,659,853 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,210,226. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $114.68 and a 52-week high of $178.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $149.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.95. The firm has a market cap of $18.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 236.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.43.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $1.08. The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 319.41% and a net margin of 1.09%. Clorox’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.98 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 761.92%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CLX. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Clorox from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 18th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $148.00 to $136.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, March 1st. They set a “sell” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Clorox from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $148.63.

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.