Verition Fund Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 648.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 112,141 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 97,152 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC owned 0.20% of Whirlpool worth $11,999,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WHR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 14.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Whirlpool by 41.5% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 43,261 shares of the company's stock worth $4,421,000 after buying an additional 12,697 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 10.7% in the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 76,709 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,208,000 after acquiring an additional 7,405 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,605,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 253.1% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the company's stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 4,431 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of WHR traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $111.42. 286,774 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 664,332. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 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 fifty day simple moving average of $107.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.44. The company has a market cap of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.45 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.28%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.