Man Group plc Takes Position in The Clorox Company $CLX

Man Group plc purchased a new position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 21,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,014,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Haverford Trust Co boosted its stake in Clorox by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $310,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 5,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $617,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the period. Johnson Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore set a $99.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen cut Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Clorox from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $84.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $125.00 to $98.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $102.40.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX opened at $94.99 on Wednesday. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $84.70 and a 1 year high of $128.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.49 billion, a PE ratio of 19.71, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.80, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 0.66. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $100.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $102.22.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.02. Clorox had a net margin of 8.74% and a return on equity of 522.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Clorox has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.700-6.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.73%.

Clorox 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.