Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Shares Purchased by Guggenheim Capital LLC

Guggenheim Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 25.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 18,492 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,739 shares during the period. Guggenheim Capital LLC's holdings in Whirlpool were worth $2,117,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WHR. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 57.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,808,744 shares of the company's stock worth $207,065,000 after acquiring an additional 659,014 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at $73,468,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth about $34,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,917,000 after buying an additional 223,232 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,118,013 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,470,000 after buying an additional 98,444 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on WHR shares. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WHR traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $77.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,605,591 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,070,732. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $91.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.16 and a beta of 1.31. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $75.03 and a 1-year high of $135.49.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -119.45%.

Whirlpool Profile

Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets home appliances and related products and services in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The company's principal products include refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, and refrigerator water filters; laundry appliances, and commercial laundry products and related laundry accessories; cooking and other small domestic appliances; and dishwasher appliances and related accessories, as well as mixers.