Vest Financial LLC Sells 5,033 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Vest Financial LLC cut its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 357,014 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,033 shares during the quarter. Clorox comprises 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $57,983,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its position in Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Clorox during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC boosted its stake in Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the third quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Clorox in the third quarter worth about $49,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of CLX stock opened at $148.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $161.44 and its 200 day moving average is $158.59. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.08% and a net margin of 4.78%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 14th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 29th will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 29th. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 170.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on CLX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. DA Davidson lowered their price objective on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen raised Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.21.

Clorox Company 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.