Clorox Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:CLX)

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) saw unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Traders purchased 2,976 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 47% compared to the average volume of 2,024 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its position in Clorox by 163.8% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in Clorox by 300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 184 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Clorox during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CLX opened at $141.80 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.43. The stock has a market cap of $17.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. Clorox has a fifty-two week low of $127.60 and a fifty-two week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.22 dividend. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 23rd. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 133.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, January 5th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.62.

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.