Financial Counselors Inc. Sells 622 Shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Financial Counselors Inc. decreased its stake in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 13.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,139 shares of the company’s stock after selling 622 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $672,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake 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 in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC raised its position in Clorox by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Asset Planning Inc bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of Clorox stock opened at $146.18 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.94, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The Clorox Company has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $151.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $159.09.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 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 prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on 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 reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Clorox has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $159.50.

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.