First Community Trust NA Cuts Stock Position in The Clorox Company $CLX

First Community Trust NA decreased its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 91.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 840 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,234 shares during the quarter. First Community Trust NA’s holdings in Clorox were worth $80,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CLX. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $135,735,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Clorox by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,341 shares of the company’s stock valued at $492,085,000 after buying an additional 884,751 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Clorox by 6,907.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 749,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,593,000 after buying an additional 739,005 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the second quarter worth $71,856,000. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in shares of Clorox by 33.8% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $214,564,000 after acquiring an additional 439,797 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CLX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Citigroup boosted their target price on Clorox from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research lowered Clorox from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $125.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $102.40.

Clorox Stock Down 2.2%

CLX stock opened at $105.87 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.96, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.80. The Clorox Company has a twelve month low of $84.70 and a twelve month high of $128.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $97.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $103.34.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.02. Clorox had a net margin of 8.74% and a return on equity of 522.23%. The firm had revenue of $1.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.91 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.87 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. Clorox has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.700-6.000 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. This is a positive change from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.7%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is 102.90%.

About Clorox

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company’s flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox’s diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.