Clorox Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:CLX)

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock traders purchased 2,976 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 47% compared to the typical volume of 2,024 call options.

Clorox Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Clorox stock opened at $142.91 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $159.31. Clorox has a 1 year low of $127.60 and a 1 year high of $171.37. The company has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. Clorox’s payout ratio is currently 133.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 163.8% in the fourth quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Redwood Park Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Continuum Advisory LLC grew its position in shares of Clorox by 300.0% during 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 bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 78.53% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on CLX. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $159.58.

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.