JPMorgan Chase & Co. Lowers Clorox (NYSE:CLX) Price Target to $148.00

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) had its price target trimmed by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $148.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the stock.

CLX has been the topic of a number of other research reports. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Clorox in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an underperform rating and a $130.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Clorox from $135.00 to $130.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Clorox from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Argus raised Clorox to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Clorox from $132.00 to $122.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and thirteen have assigned a hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $141.44.

Clorox Stock Performance

Shares of CLX stock opened at $142.66 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.73, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Clorox has a fifty-two week low of $114.68 and a fifty-two week high of $165.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $133.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $142.38. The firm has a market cap of $17.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.66, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.39.

Clorox Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. This is a boost from Clorox’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 248.71%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Clorox

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Clorox by 308.5% during the 1st quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 192 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Clorox during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Clorox during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in Clorox in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Core Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.