Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 __________________ FORM 10-K __________________ þ Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 OR ¨ Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the transition period from__________to__________. Commission file number: 1-07151 THE CLOROX COMPANY (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 31-0595760 (State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer incorporation or organization) Identification Number) 1221 Broadway, Oakland, California 94612-1888 (Address of principal executive offices) (ZIP code) (510) 271-7000 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock–$1.00 par value New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None (Title of class) Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes þ No ¨ Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No þ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ No ¨ Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): Non-accelerated filer ¨ (Do not check if a smaller Emerging Growth Large accelerated filer þ Accelerated filer ¨ reporting company) Smaller reporting company ¨ Company ¨ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨ Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ¨ No þ The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates as of December 29, 2017 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $19.2 billion. As of July 27, 2018, there were 128,085,895 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding. Documents Incorporated by Reference: Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”), to be filed within 120 days after June 30, 2018 , are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10 through 14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Table of Contents THE CLOROX COMPANY ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Part I Item 1. Business 1 Item 1.A. Risk Factors 6 Item 1.B. Unresolved Staff Comments 19 Item 2. Properties 19 Item 3. Legal Proceedings 20 Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 20 Part II Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 23 Item 6. Selected Financial Data 23 Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 24 Item 7.A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 24 Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 24 Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 24 Item 9.A. Controls and Procedures 24 Item 9.B. Other Information 24 Part III Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 25 Item 11. Executive Compensation 25 Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 25 Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 25 Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 25 Part IV Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 26 Item 16. Form 10-K Summary 29 Signatures 30 Table of Contents PART I This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 (this Report), including the exhibits hereto and the information incorporated by reference herein, contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Except for historical information, statements about future volume, sales, foreign currencies, costs, cost savings, margin, earnings, earnings per share, including as a result of the Nutranext acquisition, diluted earnings per share, foreign currency exchange rates, cash flows, plans, objectives, expectations, growth or profitability are forward-looking statements based on management’s estimates, assumptions and projections. Words such as “could,” “may,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “predicts” and variations on such words, and similar expressions that reflect our current views with respect to future events and operational and financial performance, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those discussed below. Important factors that could affect performance and cause results to differ materially from management’s expectations are described in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Report, as updated from time to time in the Company’s U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. The Company’s forward-looking statements in this Report are based on management’s current views and assumptions regarding future events and speak only as of the date when made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by the federal securities laws. In this Report, unless the context requires otherwise, the terms “the Company,” “Clorox,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to The Clorox Company and its subsidiaries. ITEM 1. BUSINESS Overview of Business The Clorox Company is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with fiscal year 2018 net sales of $6.1 billion and approximately 8,700 employees worldwide as of June 30, 2018 . Clorox sells its products primarily through mass retailers, grocery outlets, warehouse clubs, dollar stores, home hardware centers, third-party and owned e-commerce channels, military stores and distributors. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products, Pine-Sol ® cleaners, Liquid-Plumr ® clog removers, Poett ® home care products, Fresh Step ® cat litter, Glad ® bags, wraps and containers, Kingsford ® charcoal, Hidden Valley ® dressings, Brita ® water-filtration products, Burt’s Bees ® natural personal care products, RenewLife ® digestive health products, and Rainbow Light ® , Natural Vitality ® and Neocell ® dietary supplements. The Company also markets brands for professional services, including Clorox Healthcare ® and Clorox Commercial Solutions ® . More than 80% of the Company’s sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories. The Company was founded in Oakland, California in 1913 and is incorporated in Delaware. The Company’s 2020 strategy focuses on delivering long-term, profitable growth and total shareholder return. The Company’s long-term financial goals include annual net sales growth of 3-5%, annual EBIT margin growth of 25-50 basis points and annual free cash flow of 11-13% of net sales. In April 2018, the Company acquired 100 percent of Nutranext, a health and wellness company based in Sunrise, Florida, for $681 million. Results for Nutranext's global business are reflected in the Lifestyle reportable segment. In May 2016, the Company acquired 100 percent of RenewLife, a digestive health company, for $290 million. The purchases of Nutranext and RenewLife reflect the Company's strategy to acquire leading brands in economically attractive categories with a focus on health and wellness. In fiscal year 2018 , the Company delivered net sales growth of 3% as well as 17% increase in diluted earnings per share (EPS) from continuing operations in a macroeconomic environment that included high levels of competition in select categories, increasingly competitive retail dynamics, significantly rising logistics and commodity costs and global inflationary pressures, as well as a difficult macroeconomic environment in international markets.