Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Given Average Recommendation of "Reduce" by Analysts

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Reduce" from the four research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $106.50.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating 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.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock traded up $1.35 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $106.35. The company had a trading volume of 863,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,187,756. Whirlpool has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $125.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $102.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.55. The stock has a market cap of $5.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.36 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.58%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is presently 69.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,907,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the 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 owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Primecap Management Co. CA lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 1.8% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 4,858,250 shares of the company's stock valued at $496,513,000 after buying an additional 84,574 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 23.8% in the 2nd quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,402,941 shares of the company's stock valued at $143,381,000 after acquiring an additional 269,976 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company's stock worth $100,304,000 after purchasing an additional 312,729 shares during the period. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 84.4% during the second quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 532,466 shares of the company's stock worth $54,418,000 after purchasing an additional 243,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 462,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,248,000 after purchasing an additional 8,244 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Company 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.