Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Stock

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $157.00 to $161.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 0.75% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on CLX. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Clorox from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $170.00 in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Clorox from $153.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays lowered their price target on Clorox from $139.00 to $130.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Clorox from $140.00 to $139.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $156.36.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $159.80 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $162.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $158.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.68, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.08. Clorox has a 52 week low of $127.60 and a 52 week high of $171.37.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.16. Clorox had a return on equity of 316.08% and a net margin of 4.78%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 6.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Insight Folios Inc increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 3.0% in the third quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 2,195 shares of the company’s stock worth $358,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in Clorox by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Integral Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,718 shares of the company’s stock worth $279,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of Clorox by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. HCR Wealth Advisors now owns 6,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,116,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Clorox by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 3,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $502,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

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.