Legal & General Group Plc Buys Shares of 421,458 The Clorox Company $CLX

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 421,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,224,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned 0.35% of Clorox at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CLX. Haverford Trust Co grew its stake in Clorox by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 3,070 shares of the company’s stock valued at $310,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its position in shares of Clorox by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 5,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $617,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Clorox by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Johnson Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,659 shares of the company’s stock worth $451,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 2,540 shares of the company’s stock worth $305,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Clorox Trading Down 1.0%

Clorox stock opened at $102.57 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $99.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.72. The company has a market capitalization of $12.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.54. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $84.70 and a 52 week high of $128.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.80.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.91 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 8.74% and a return on equity of 522.23%. Clorox’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.87 EPS. Clorox has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.700-6.000 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 5.8 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 12th. This is an increase from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.73%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Clorox in a report on Friday, July 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Clorox from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $125.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Clorox from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $98.00 price target on Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $102.40.

Clorox Profile

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.