1155 ET - Clorox's $2.25 billion acquisition of Gojo Industries, the company behind Purell, makes strategic sense but could complicate efforts to boost growth in the core business, Morgan Stanely analysts write in a note. "We believe a turnaround on the base business is the key stock driver here, and this deal will raise complexity," they write. "We are also mindful of a subpar history of large deals in the CPG space, particularly when the acquirer is executing a turnaround during a period of lower topline growth and note press articles indicate GOJO has been up for sale previously." The second half of the fiscal year will be key to understanding whether Clorox is able to execute the acquisition and its core turnaround strategy at the same time, they write. Clorox gains 2.7%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 23, 2026 11:56 ET (16:56 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.