Clorox forecasts 3.5%-4.5% organic sales growth as input cost inflation rises to $240M. Earnings Call Insights: The Clorox Company (CLX) Q1 2027 Management view. * CEO Linda Rendle framed the quarter as execution-led outperformance amid a tougher cost and competitive backdrop, saying, "We made good progress in the first quarter, delivering better-than-expected results through strong execution and some favorable timing benefits," while adding, "the underlying trajectory of the business continues to move in the right direction with steady progress in organic sales growth and market share." * Rendle emphasized priorities investors have been tracking since the ERP disruption period, including portfolio and integration work, stating, "We are improving superiority and innovation across our portfolio, integrating GOJO to unlock the full potential of Clorox Purell ProCare, continuing to evolve our portfolio and advancing our transformation efforts from a period of significant investment toward one of optimization and value creation." * Rendle announced a CEO transition, saying, "the Board has appointed Fabian Garcia as Clorox's next CEO," and added, "Between now and January, I remain fully focused on executing our strategy, delivering our commitments and maintaining momentum while supporting a smooth transition." * CFO Luc Bellet reset the inflation framework and assumptions, telling UBS, "we now expect input cost inflation for the fiscal year to be about $240 million," and "from an oil standpoint, we are assuming that the Brent annual average price would be around $100," with inflation "more pronounced in the first half" as mitigation actions "start\u2026 ramping up over time." * On GOJO economics, Bellet reiterated synergy visibility and pace, stating, "we had estimated about $50 million" of cost synergies and, "we now have, like, line of sight to the entire $50 million\u2026 and potentially more," while noting first-year adjusted EPS expectations moved from "about neutral" to "positive" without providing a specific figure. Outlook. * Management anchored full-year organic sales guidance around the ERP lap, with Bellet stating, "our organic sales growth rate is expected to be 3.5% to 4.5%, and that includes about 3.5 points of benefit from lapping the ERP transition," adding, "excluding the impact of the ERP, is flat to plus 1% for the full year." * Near-term phasing implies a softer first half and firmer second half on an ERP-adjusted basis, with Bellet saying, "we expect organic sales growth, excluding the ERP to be down slightly in the front half and up slightly in the back half," and that "annual retail consumption\u2026 is essentially flat in the front half and then becomes up slightly in the back half." * Second-quarter setup includes shipment and timing noise, with Bellet referencing guidance factors as "timing and relapping dynamic" and indicating that, excluding those effects, management expects "U.S. retail consumption about flat" with Pro and international as contributors. Financial results. * The prepared remarks in the transcript did not include explicit figures for quarterly revenue, adjusted EPS, GAAP EPS, operating income, or free cash flow; management instead discussed performance drivers and updated cost and margin assumptions. * Cost pressure was the central financial driver cited, with Bellet stating, "we now expect input cost inflation for the fiscal year to be about $240 million," and characterizing it as "about 2.5x higher our historical annual average rate." * Margin recovery strategy was described as productivity-led rather than pricing-led, with Bellet saying, "the majority is still going to come\u2026 from productivity and cost savings" and adding, "we'll expect to exit the year with much stronger gross margin," while clarifying to Wells Fargo, "gross margin in the back half will be higher than the average." * SG&A outlook language changed alongside GOJO synergy timing, with Bellet stating, "there is a little bit of favorability as we're accelerating some of the synergies on the GOJO acquisition," and, "we adjusted the SG&A from 16% to 15%," while cautioning there was "a little bit of rounding in those percentages." Q&A. * Peter Grom, UBS: Asked for assumptions behind updated guidance and cost phasing; Executive VP & CFO Bellet: "we now expect input cost inflation for the fiscal year to be about $240 million" and "we expect inflation will be more pronounced in the first half\u2026" with mitigation actions ramping in the back half. * Peter Grom, UBS: Asked about implied back-half improvement in organic sales excluding ERP; Executive VP & CFO Bellet: "excluding the impact of the ERP, is flat to plus 1% for the full year" and "down slightly in the front half and up slightly in the back half" on an underlying basis. * Anna Lizzul, BofA: Pressed on mitigation mix and pricing confidence; Executive VP & CFO Bellet: "the majority\u2026 will be\u2026 productivity and cost savings" plus "targeted pricing" and RGM, and CEO Rendle: categories remain within "flat to up 1" and she expects "better share performance in the back half of the year as well." * Robert Moskow, TD Cowen: Asked where share improved and whether GOJO accretion could be raised; CEO Rendle detailed brand moves including "Home Care\u2026 up over 0.5 share point" and "Hidden Valley grew almost 2 share points," while CFO Bellet said GOJO year-one adjusted EPS moved from "about neutral" to "positive" and synergies have "line of sight" to "$50 million." * Andrea Teixeira, JPMorgan: Questioned what underpins second-half growth and pricing magnitude/timing; CEO Rendle: "most of our innovation launches" are in the back half with "one of our strongest innovation plans on record," and described Glad Trash as a "high single-digit price increase" implemented in July, with additional pricing viewed as "logical" in the back half. * Kevin Grundy, BNP Paribas: Sought portfolio pricing coverage and long-term margin targets; CEO Rendle: "the vast majority of the portfolio will be covered by RGM" and additional list pricing would remain "targeted," while CFO Bellet: "job one is getting back to historical EBIT margin\u2026 about 18%" and cited historical gross margin of "43.5% and 44%." Sentiment analysis. * Analysts sentiment was slightly negative to pressing on costs, pricing power, and durability of margin recovery, including UBS asking about "how volatile the external environment is" and Wells Fargo challenging the implied exit-rate logic on gross margin. * Management tone in prepared remarks was slightly positive but cautious, with CEO Rendle saying, "we are encouraged by the start to the year," while emphasizing, "the operating environment remains challenging and uncertain," and in Q&A executives repeatedly leaned on confidence language such as Bellet stating, "we have confidence" and "we feel confident" in margin rebuild. * Versus last quarter, management messaging shifted toward more explicit inflation and oil assumptions (including "$240 million" and "around $100") and away from ERP stabilization toward value creation and GOJO synergy acceleration; analyst questioning similarly intensified around pricing breadth and margin durability rather than ERP disruption. Quarter-over-Quarter comparison. * Inflation assumptions increased sequentially, with Q1 FY27 describing "about $240 million" and Brent "around $100" versus Q4 FY26 expectations of inflation "above $200 million" and Brent "about $90 per barrel." * Leadership transition moved from search commentary to a named successor, shifting from Q4 FY26 where Rendle said the CEO search "is progressing as expected" to Q1 FY27 where she said, "the Board has appointed Fabian Garcia as Clorox's next CEO" and set an end date: "up until January 5." * Guidance language became more structured around the ERP lap, with Q1 FY27 explicitly stating "3.5 points of benefit from lapping the ERP transition" and describing underlying growth as "flat to plus 1%," while Q4 FY26 framed FY27 as "flat to up slightly" organic sales outlook tied to category/mix and timing factors. * Analyst focus remained consistent on pricing, market share (especially Litter/Household), and how productivity and RGM offset inflation; Q1 FY27 added more follow-through questions on GOJO synergy timing and whether accretion could be increased. Risks and concerns. * Management flagged continued consumer and competitive pressure, with CEO Rendle stating, "Consumers continue to seek value" and "Competitive activity remains elevated," while also warning "increased commodity and transportation costs are putting additional pressure on margins." * Pricing execution risk and timing lag were acknowledged, as Rendle noted price actions "took a little while for it to get passed through" in Glad Trash and that pricing and other actions "take a couple of quarters to start to see those mitigating actions." * Category-specific risk remains concentrated in Litter and event-driven Kingsford, with Rendle saying on Litter, "we are still far from the place we want to be on share," and characterizing Kingsford as "highly event dependent" with share tied to "the key holidays." Final takeaway. Management described a Q1 start that was "better-than-expected" but benefited from timing, alongside a more inflation-heavy FY27 setup featuring "$240 million" of input cost inflation and Brent assumed "around $100." The company reiterated that mitigation is intended to be productivity-led, with back-half improvement supported by stacked margin actions and a back-half-weighted innovation pipeline, while also entering a defined leadership transition after the Board appointed Fabian Garcia as next CEO and Rendle said she will remain focused through "January 5." Fresh Stock Ideas, Every Day Explore diverse investing perspectives with daily analysis from experts across the market. More on Clorox. Seeking Alpha's Disclaimer: This article was automatically generated by an AI tool based on content available on the Seeking Alpha website, and has not been curated or reviewed by humans. 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Clorox (NYSE:CLX) stock price target raised at UBS Group. November 3, 2026 Key points. * UBS raised Clorox's price target from $91 to $96 while maintaining a neutral rating, implying 3.65% upside from the previous close. MarketBeat's broader consensus is "Reduce," with a $93.64 target. * Clorox reported a strong quarter, posting EPS of $1.55 versus the $1.07 consensus and revenue of $1.91 billion, up 33.3% year over year and above estimates. * Despite improving analyst sentiment and margin-recovery efforts, cost inflation remains a key risk; management expects pressure that could push results toward the lower end of its earnings outlook. * Five stocks we like better than Clorox. Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by stock analysts at UBS Group from $91.00 to $96.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "neutral" rating on the stock. UBS Group's target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.65% from the stock's previous close. Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on CLX. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Clorox in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. BNP Paribas Exane reduced their target price on shares of Clorox from $97.00 to $95.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Clorox from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $125.00 to $98.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Clorox from $97.00 to $87.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Clorox in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $93.64. Clorox stock performance. CLX stock traded up $2.72 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $92.62. The company had a trading volume of 1,098,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,642,461. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $88.27 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.92. Clorox has a 1-year low of $79.12 and a 1-year high of $128.90. The firm has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.80. Discover more MarketBeat All Access Stock Market News Stock Screener Tool Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 2nd. The company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.07 by $0.48. Clorox had a return on equity of 522.23% and a net margin of 8.74%. The business had revenue of $1.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 33.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Clorox will post 5.66 earnings per share for the current year. Institutional inflows and outflows. A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CLX. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Clorox by 9.3% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the company's stock valued at $145,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 32.3% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 565 shares of the company's stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Clorox by 83.8% during the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 318 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank grew its position in shares of Clorox by 3.1% during the third quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 5,052 shares of the company's stock worth $409,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mystic Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Clorox by 1.3% during the third quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,112 shares of the company's stock worth $981,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. 78.53% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. More Clorox news. Here are the key news stories impacting Clorox this week: * Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Clorox reported adjusted earnings of $1.55 per share, well above the $1.07 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 33.3% year over year to $1.91 billion, topping the $1.88 billion forecast. * Margin recovery efforts are showing progress. Productivity gains, strategic pricing and anticipated savings from the GOJO integration are helping offset higher input costs, supporting management's confidence in its recovery plans. * Analyst sentiment improved. Evercore ISI upgraded Clorox from "underperform" to "in line" with a $99 price target, citing the new CEO's turnaround experience and potential for earnings recovery. * Fiscal 2027 guidance was maintained. Clorox forecasts adjusted EPS of $5.70-$6.00 and revenue of $7.6 billion-$7.7 billion, broadly in line with analyst expectations. * Cost inflation remains a key risk. Management expects rising input costs and margin pressures to push results toward the lower end of its EPS range, increasing the importance of pricing actions, productivity savings and the GOJO integration. Clorox Company profile. The Clorox Company, founded in 1913 and headquartered in Oakland, California, is a consumer and professional products company. It began with household bleach and has expanded into a portfolio of brands serving cleaning, household, personal care, food, and professional markets. Its brands include Clorox disinfecting and cleaning products, Pine-Sol cleaners, Liquid-Plumr drain care, Kingsford charcoal, Fresh Step and Scoop Away cat litter, Hidden Valley dressings and dips, Brita water filtration products, and Burt's Bees personal care items. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. Before you consider Clorox, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Clorox wasn't on the list. While Clorox currently has a Reduce rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. MarketBeat just released its list of the 7 hottest IPOs expected to hit Wall Street in 2026. See which companies are preparing to go public and why investors are watching closely. Continue following MarketBeat

Clorox appoints Fabian Garcia as CEO. Oct 29, 2026, 07:00 ET Matthew Shattock to Resume Position as Independent Chair OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Fabian Garcia as CEO, effective Jan. 5, 2027, following a comprehensive search. Garcia will succeed Linda Rendle, who announced in May that she would step down for health reasons. Rendle will continue to serve as chair and CEO until Garcia assumes the CEO role. At the time of Garcia's appointment, he will join the Board of Directors, and Matthew Shattock, the company's lead independent director and former Board chair, will become independent chair. On that date, Rendle will step down as CEO and as a director, while continuing to serve in an advisory capacity through April 2, 2027 to ensure a smooth transition. "Fabian is an accomplished global business leader with an exceptional track record of delivering results, building enduring brands and developing high-performing teams," said Shattock. "His experience leading large-scale consumer businesses, advancing innovation, successfully managing complex and evolving customer and channel dynamics, and driving disciplined growth makes him well suited to lead Clorox. The Board is confident that Fabian has the vision and leadership to build on the strong foundation Linda has established, strengthen execution and position Clorox for sustainable value creation." Shattock continued, "We are also incredibly grateful for Linda's leadership through some of the most consequential moments in the company's history. She strengthened the business and positioned it for the future. We greatly appreciate her continued support during this transition." Garcia currently serves as president of Unilever Personal Care and is a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive team, bringing more than four decades of global consumer products leadership experience. Since joining Unilever in 2020, he has held several senior leadership roles, including serving as president of Unilever North America. Before joining Unilever, Garcia served as CEO of Revlon and as chief operating officer for Global Innovation and Growth at Colgate-Palmolive, where he led global growth strategy, consumer innovation and operational productivity initiatives. Earlier in his career, he held a series of global leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, helping shape his foundation in brand building, commercial excellence and consumer-focused growth. Garcia currently serves on the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo, having previously served on the boards of Kimberly-Clark and Arrow Electronics. "I am honored to join Clorox and grateful for the Board's confidence," said Garcia. "This is a company with an exceptional portfolio of trusted brands, deep consumer loyalty, a clear purpose and a talented team. While there is more work ahead to strengthen performance and realize the company's full potential, I am energized by the opportunity and confident in Clorox's future. I look forward to working with the team to build on these strengths, drive growth and create long-term value for all of our stakeholders." "It has been the privilege of my career to lead Clorox and work alongside such talented teammates around the world," said Rendle. "As I prepare to hand over leadership of this remarkable company in the coming months, I do so with great confidence. Clorox's future is bright, and I look forward to seeing all that the company will accomplish under Fabian's leadership." Clorox will report its first-quarter fiscal year 2027 earnings results on Monday, Nov. 2, and Rendle and Chief Financial Officer Luc Bellet will participate in an earnings call with analysts. Links to the webcast, press release and prepared remarks can be found at Clorox Quarterly Results. About The Clorox Company The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) champions people to be well and thrive every single day. Headquartered in Oakland, California since 1913, Clorox integrates sustainability into how it does business. Driven by consumer-centric innovation, the company is committed to delivering clearly superior experiences through its trusted brands, including Brita(R), Burt's Bees(R), Clorox(R), Fresh Step(R), Glad(R), Hidden Valley(R), Kingsford(R), Liquid-Plumr(R), Pine-Sol(R) and Purell(R) as well as international brands such as Chux(R), Clorinda(R) and Poett(R). Visit thecloroxcompany.com to learn more. SOURCE The Clorox Company