The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 464 shares of the company’s stock after selling 75 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Clorox were worth $75,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 16.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 4,516 shares of the company’s stock worth $733,000 after buying an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $285,000. MONECO Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. MONECO Advisors LLC now owns 1,955 shares of the company’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

CLX stock opened at $154.57 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The Clorox Company has a 12-month low of $127.60 and a 12-month high of $171.37. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $157.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $160.05. The firm has a market cap of $19.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.42.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its 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 return on equity of 316.87% and a net margin of 6.38%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays increased their target price on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen raised shares of Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $158.21.

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.