KBC Group NV Decreases Stock Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 80.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,747 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,419 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Whirlpool were worth $187,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 46.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company's stock worth $100,304,000 after acquiring an additional 312,729 shares in the last quarter. RWWM Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool in the second quarter worth approximately $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 23.8% in the second quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,402,941 shares of the company's stock worth $143,381,000 after acquiring an additional 269,976 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 240.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,125,000 after purchasing an additional 265,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 84.4% in the second quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 532,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,418,000 after purchasing an additional 243,743 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR opened at $109.79 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company has a market capitalization of $6.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $105.01 and a 200 day moving average of $99.47. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $125.68.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $5.45 earnings per share. Whirlpool's revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Whirlpool's payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In other news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,907,000. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

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.