Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. Increases Stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX)

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its stake in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) by 5.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 16,003 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 847 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Clorox were worth $2,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Heritage Trust Co purchased a new position in Clorox in the fourth quarter valued at $466,000. Redwood Park Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Clorox in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. F M Investments LLC raised its holdings in Clorox by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. F M Investments LLC now owns 15,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,446,000 after purchasing an additional 2,291 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Clorox during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,935,000. Finally, APG Asset Management N.V. grew its holdings in Clorox by 204.4% in the fourth quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 103,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,233,000 after purchasing an additional 69,500 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company’s stock.

Clorox Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:CLX opened at $139.60 on Friday. The Clorox Company has a 52-week low of $127.60 and a 52-week high of $171.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $156.40. The stock has a market cap of $17.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.14, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.61.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 3rd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 7.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be given a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.50%. Clorox’s payout ratio is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Clorox from $155.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Clorox in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Clorox from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Clorox presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $153.83.

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.