Wells Fargo & Company MN Boosts Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 5.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 193,029 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,424 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN owned approximately 0.35% of Whirlpool worth $22,098,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $73,468,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $34,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position 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 last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,118,013 shares of the company's stock worth $242,470,000 after acquiring an additional 98,444 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at $7,275,000. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $106.00.

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Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WHR traded down $0.90 on Tuesday, reaching $79.33. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,050,886 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,066,063. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $75.04 and a 52-week high of $135.49. The stock's 50-day moving average is $93.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $106.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.54 and a beta of 1.31.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share 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 in the previous year, the business posted $3.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.82%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is currently -119.45%.

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.