Short Interest in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) Decreases By 5.0%

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,360,000 shares, a decline of 5.0% from the May 31st total of 4,590,000 shares. Currently, 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,270,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.4 days.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX opened at $133.54 on Wednesday. Clorox has a one year low of $114.68 and a one year high of $169.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $136.74 and a 200-day moving average of $143.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market cap of $16.58 billion, a PE ratio of 69.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.39.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.87 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 302.49%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Clorox will post 5.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on CLX shares. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $162.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Clorox from $155.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $164.00 to $159.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas began coverage on Clorox in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $130.00 target price for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.33.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CLX. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,982,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in Clorox by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $181,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services lifted its stake in Clorox by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 2,257 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Clorox by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 21,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,097,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. 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.