Blue Chip Partners LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Blue Chip Partners LLC trimmed its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 17.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 784 shares of the company’s stock after selling 169 shares during the quarter. Blue Chip Partners LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiduciary Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 36.9% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Group LLC now owns 18,967 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,705,000 after buying an additional 5,115 shares during the period. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 73.2% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 710 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 4,455 shares of the company’s stock worth $635,000 after buying an additional 718 shares during the period. AM Investment Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth $211,000. Finally, Syon Capital LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at $284,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Price Performance

CLX opened at $145.48 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $149.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $18.06 billion, a PE ratio of 232.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.43. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $114.68 and a 1 year high of $178.21.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $1.08. Clorox had a return on equity of 319.41% and a net margin of 1.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.98 EPS. Clorox’s quarterly revenue was up 16.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 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 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 761.92%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on CLX. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $155.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Clorox from $148.00 to $136.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup cut their price target 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $148.63.

Clorox 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.