The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Short Interest Update

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 3,540,000 shares, a decrease of 18.1% from the February 28th total of 4,320,000 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.5 days.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX traded up $0.42 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $147.67. The stock had a trading volume of 221,324 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,274,644. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.94. Clorox has a 1-year low of $127.60 and a 1-year high of $171.37. The stock has a market cap of $18.19 billion, a PE ratio of 40.34, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $151.08 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.87.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) 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 in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Clorox will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. Clorox’s payout ratio is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com cut Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Clorox from $157.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $159.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 6,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,116,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 1,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Wedbush Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc. now owns 7,624 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,238,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in shares of Clorox by 163.8% during the 4th 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. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.