Bank of Montreal Can Increases Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 45.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,251 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,150 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in Whirlpool were worth $2,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 312,729 shares during the last quarter. RWWM Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 23.8% during 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 period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 240.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,125,000 after acquiring an additional 265,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 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 worth $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WHR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price 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. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $106.50.

Whirlpool Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE WHR traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $108.55. 680,317 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,140,249. The company has a market cap of $5.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 1.46. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $107.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.77. 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 one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $125.68.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.45 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Whirlpool's payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was 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 represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.