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Can Clorox's Digital Push Accelerate Operational Efficiency?

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Key Takeaways

  • CLX expects ERP rollout to finish by Q3, enabling real-time data insights across operations.
  • CLX is expanding Revenue Growth Management to support data-driven pricing.
  • CLX sees supply chain and automation gains lifting EBIT margins by 25-50 bps.

Digital transformation is becoming a key pillar of operational improvement at The Clorox Company (CLX - Free Report) . The company is focused on strengthening its foundation by advancing digital transformation, improving execution, and unlocking value from its newly modernized enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, while accelerating innovation to deliver superior value to consumers in a dynamic environment. As the company modernizes its systems and processes, management believes these initiatives can strengthen efficiency, streamline decision-making and support long-term growth.

A major milestone in this transformation was the completion of the final phase of Clorox’s U.S. ERP implementation. This multi-year initiative was designed to modernize the company’s systems and create a more integrated operating platform. With the transition now complete, Clorox is focused on leveraging the new infrastructure to improve execution across supply chain, demand planning and operational processes.

Management emphasized that its new operating model, supported by significant digital investments, is enabling the company to scale capabilities and enhance operational efficiency. The platform is expected to accelerate decision-making while enabling more data-driven insights across the organization. These capabilities are also strengthening revenue growth management and allowing Clorox to execute more personalized and insight-driven strategies in the marketplace. The company continues to invest meaningfully in these capabilities. Strategic spending aimed at enhancing digital infrastructure and productivity initiatives remains an important component of Clorox’s cost structure, reflecting management’s confidence in the long-term benefits of the transformation.

These digital capabilities also support Clorox’s broader strategy of driving innovation and improving the consumer shopping experience. By integrating data, analytics and supply chain visibility, the company aims to create more efficient operations while strengthening brand execution. While the ERP transition has created some near-term operational challenges, Clorox believes the upgraded digital foundation positions it for stronger efficiency and execution over time. If successfully leveraged, these investments could enhance productivity, improve margin resilience and support sustainable long-term growth.

The Zacks Rundown for CLX

In the past three months, CLX’s shares have gained 10.2% compared with the industry’s rise of 8%. CLX carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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From a valuation standpoint, CLX trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33X, lower than the industry average of 19.03X.

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CLX’s current fiscal year earnings implies a year-over-year decline of 23.5%, while the same for the next fiscal year earnings suggests a year-over-year rise of 15.3%.

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Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL - Free Report) together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. CL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CL's current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 4% and 5.7%, from the year-ago reported figures. CL delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 4%, on average.

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for OLLI's current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 16.8% and 17.7%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. OLLI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5.2%, on average.

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The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KVUE's current fiscal-year sales and earnings implies growth of 2.9% and 0.9%, respectively, from the year-ago actuals. KVUE delivered a trailing four-quarter negative earnings surprise of 9.8%, on average.

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