New York Life Investment Management LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

New York Life Investment Management LLC reduced its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 18,417 shares of the company’s stock after selling 533 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $2,991,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 163.8% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Clorox by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $156.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.42. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $156.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $160.26. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.12%. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CLX. TD Cowen raised Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson lowered their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays boosted their target price on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.62.

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.