Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $8.05 Million Holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 100.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 56,440 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 28,245 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Clorox were worth $8,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its stake in Clorox by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,097,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,089 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, West Branch Capital LLC raised its stake in Clorox by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. West Branch Capital LLC now owns 903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Clorox from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $145.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. DA Davidson reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $162.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Clorox from $148.00 to $136.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have given a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $148.63.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE:CLX opened at $147.79 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $149.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.27. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $114.68 and a twelve month high of $178.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.34 billion, a PE ratio of 234.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 1st. The company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by $1.08. Clorox had a return on equity of 319.41% and a net margin of 1.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 16.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.25%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s payout ratio is 761.90%.

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.