Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Given New $174.00 Price Target at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $148.00 to $174.00 in a research report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on CLX. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. They set a sell rating and a $122.00 price objective for the company. DA Davidson restated a neutral rating and set a $153.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, September 6th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Clorox to a strong sell rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Clorox from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the stock from $174.00 to $187.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Clorox from $144.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $150.36.

Clorox Stock Up 1.4 %

Clorox stock opened at $160.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.06, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.04. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $157.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.72. Clorox has a 52 week low of $114.68 and a 52 week high of $169.09.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.54 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.97 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 3.95% and a return on equity of 281.12%. On average, analysts expect that Clorox will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is presently 252.85%.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In related news, EVP Angela C. Hilt sold 1,733 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total transaction of $286,846.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 13,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,229,719.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in Clorox during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in shares of Clorox in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Clorox in the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Clorox by 139.8% in the second quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 223 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its position in shares of Clorox by 99.1% in the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 229 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

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.