KBC Group NV Reduces Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

KBC Group NV lowered its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 80.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 2,170 shares of the company's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management increased its position in Whirlpool by 2.0% in the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 7,395 shares of the company's stock worth $791,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 1.1% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,247 shares of the company's stock worth $1,558,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,565 shares of the company's stock valued at $381,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 80.6% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 428 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WHR. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target 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. boosted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Whirlpool Trading Up 1.3 %

WHR traded up $1.38 during trading on Thursday, reaching $111.18. The company had a trading volume of 366,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,162,063. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. Whirlpool Co. has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $125.68. The stock has a market cap of $6.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $105.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $99.55.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.45 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.30%. Whirlpool's payout ratio is 69.03%.

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.