Groupe la Francaise Boosts Holdings in The Clorox Company $CLX

Groupe la Francaise boosted its holdings in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 13.6% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 54,468 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,514 shares during the quarter. Groupe la Francaise’s holdings in Clorox were worth $5,645,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,970,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Clorox by 253.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 10,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,532,000 after purchasing an additional 7,465 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Clorox by 1.7% during the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 25,032 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,006,000 after purchasing an additional 424 shares in the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC grew its holdings in Clorox by 173.5% during the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 12,491 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,500,000 after purchasing an additional 7,924 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in Clorox by 26.2% in the second quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 16,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,938,000 after buying an additional 3,352 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CLX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Zacks Research cut shares of Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $125.00 to $98.00 in a report on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $101.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Pierre R. Breber acquired 5,000 shares of Clorox stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 18,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,544,760. This represents a 38.46% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $95.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $84.70 and a 12-month high of $128.90. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53 and a beta of 0.54.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.09. Clorox had a return on equity of 443.64% and a net margin of 11.18%.The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Company 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.