Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Clorox (NYSE:CLX)

The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 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 Price Performance

CLX traded down $2.23 on Tuesday, hitting $141.68. 110,021 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,210,271. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $152.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $159.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.52. Clorox has a one year low of $127.60 and a one year high of $171.37. The firm has a market cap of $17.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.45.

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, beating 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 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Clorox will post 7.15 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be issued a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Clorox’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 133.33%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on CLX. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Clorox from $145.00 to $155.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Clorox from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, January 5th. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $169.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Clorox from $171.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Clorox from $130.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $159.62.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Clorox

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Clorox during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $259,041,000. FMR LLC lifted its position in Clorox by 75.4% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,361,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $221,163,000 after purchasing an additional 585,526 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Clorox by 549.8% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 542,726 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,144,000 after buying an additional 459,203 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP increased its holdings in shares of Clorox by 187.9% in the 4th quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 698,900 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,508,000 after buying an additional 456,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP raised its position in shares of Clorox by 512.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ilex Capital Partners UK LLP now owns 542,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,315,000 after buying an additional 453,624 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is 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.