ING Groep NV Cuts Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

ING Groep NV lessened its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 64.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 16,064 shares of the company’s stock after selling 28,656 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Clorox were worth $2,609,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 163.8% during the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Clorox by 300.0% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Clorox in the 3rd quarter valued at $54,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

NYSE CLX opened at $157.41 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.39 billion, a PE ratio of 43.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.42. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $127.60 and a twelve month high of $171.37. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $157.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a net margin of 6.38% and a return on equity of 316.87%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen upgraded Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $158.21.

About Clorox

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.