Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Director Pierre Breber Buys 4,000 Shares of Stock

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Director Pierre Breber acquired 4,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $100.06 per share, for a total transaction of $400,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 22,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,201,320. This trade represents a 22.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Clorox Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $99.64 on Friday. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $79.12 and a 1 year high of $128.90. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $87.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $99.72. The company has a market cap of $12.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.91, a current ratio of 0.65 and a quick ratio of 0.38.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.48. The firm had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. Clorox had a return on equity of 608.30% and a net margin of 9.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 33.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.85 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 5.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 28th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 28th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.0%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.93%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Clorox during the 2nd quarter worth about $958,640,000. Beutel Goodman & Co Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the 3rd quarter valued at about $163,038,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 2nd quarter valued at about $179,780,000. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 1,737,891 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,787,000 after buying an additional 102,732 shares during the period. Finally, Equity Investment Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 34.8% in the 3rd quarter. Equity Investment Corp now owns 1,578,983 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,913,000 after buying an additional 407,569 shares during the period. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Clorox

Here are the key news stories impacting Clorox this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Pierre Breber bought 4,000 shares for about $400,240, increasing his stake by 22.2% to 22,000 shares. The purchase may signal confidence in Clorox’s outlook. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan and UBS analysts said Clorox’s stock is expected to rise, adding to the positive analyst sentiment. JPMorgan analyst report UBS analyst report
• Positive Sentiment: Evercore upgraded Clorox’s stock rating, another supportive signal from analysts. Evercore rating report
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target from $87 to $94 but kept an “equal weight” rating; the new target remained below the referenced share price. Morgan Stanley rating information
• Negative Sentiment: Clorox’s margin outlook remains a concern: a comparison with PepsiCo highlighted rising costs and tight dividend coverage as risks. Clorox and PepsiCo dividend comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Other reports cited ETF net selling and Barclays maintaining its sell rating, indicating continued institutional and analyst caution. ETF flows report Barclays rating report

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Clorox from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $95.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $84.00 to $80.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 16th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price objective on shares of Clorox from $97.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Clorox from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $93.79.

Clorox Company Profile

The Clorox Company, founded in 1913 and headquartered in Oakland, California, is a consumer and professional products company. It began with household bleach and has expanded into a portfolio of brands serving cleaning, household, personal care, food, and professional markets.

Its brands include Clorox disinfecting and cleaning products, Pine-Sol cleaners, Liquid-Plumr drain care, Kingsford charcoal, Fresh Step and Scoop Away cat litter, Hidden Valley dressings and dips, Brita water filtration products, and Burt’s Bees personal care items.