The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 32.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,069 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 759 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $438,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fortitude Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tyler Stone Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 64.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tyler Stone Wealth Management now owns 255 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Hartford Financial Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Hartford Financial Management Inc. now owns 256 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. Valley National Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 458.3% during the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 268 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares during the period. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $141.18 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $148.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.67. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $114.68 and a 12 month high of $170.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 73.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.44.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.38. Clorox had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 302.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.51 EPS. Clorox’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 5.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is currently 248.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CLX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $142.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $162.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $136.00 to $132.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $159.00 to $158.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, March 1st. They issued a “sell” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $146.43.

Clorox 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.