Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Trims Position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC decreased its position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 26.6% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 30,276 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,944 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $4,917,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in shares of Clorox by 2.7% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 9,091 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,481,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Clorox by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 776,232 shares of the company’s stock valued at $126,456,000 after buying an additional 168,111 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Clorox during the third quarter valued at approximately $363,000. CreativeOne Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the third quarter worth $213,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 2.6% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 49,468 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,059,000 after acquiring an additional 1,247 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX stock opened at $146.18 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $151.34 and its 200 day moving average is $159.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The firm has a market cap of $18.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.94, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.50.

About Clorox

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.