Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Clorox (NYSE:CLX)

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Stock investors acquired 14,071 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 184% compared to the average daily volume of 4,949 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Clorox

In other news, Director Pierre R. Breber acquired 5,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 18,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,544,760. This represents a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.63% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Clorox

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Clorox by 3.0% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 83,889 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,693,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439 shares during the last quarter. Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter worth about $158,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter worth about $86,000. Convergence Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Clorox by 25.7% during the 1st quarter. Convergence Investment Partners LLC now owns 14,999 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,554,000 after purchasing an additional 3,068 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Clorox by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,228 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Clorox from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Rothschild & Co Redburn set a $117.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $96.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Clorox from $102.00 to $85.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $104.00.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX traded up $0.55 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $92.66. 962,333 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,528,163. The firm has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a PEG ratio of 0.47 and a beta of 0.59. Clorox has a 12 month low of $84.70 and a 12 month high of $138.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a current ratio of 0.84. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $106.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.04.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 443.64%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. Clorox has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 5.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 8th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 22nd will be issued a dividend of $1.24 per share. This represents a $4.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 22nd. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 80.52%.

Clorox Company Profile

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company’s flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox’s diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.