Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Takes $32.77 Million Position in The Clorox Company $CLX

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 343,344 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,769,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CLX. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. raised its position in shares of Clorox by 250.6% in the fourth quarter. Wilkins Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 55,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,552,000 after purchasing an additional 39,360 shares during the period. Morningstar Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 131.8% during the 4th quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 62,454 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,297,000 after buying an additional 35,506 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 6.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,405,774 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,680,000 after buying an additional 80,618 shares during the period. National Pension Service grew its stake in Clorox by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 27,537 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,777,000 after buying an additional 11,233 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,966,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Clorox from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Clorox from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $98.00 price target on Clorox in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $83.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Evercore set a $99.00 price objective on Clorox in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $102.40.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX opened at $106.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.80, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.38. The Clorox Company has a 1 year low of $84.70 and a 1 year high of $128.90. The business has a 50-day moving average of $98.77 and a 200-day moving average of $103.11. The company has a market capitalization of $12.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.54.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.95 billion for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.87 EPS. Clorox has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.700-6.000 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Clorox Company will post 5.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. Clorox’s payout ratio is presently 103.73%.

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.