Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Reaches New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $130.85 and last traded at $131.81, with a volume of 631779 shares. The stock had previously closed at $128.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America increased 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. lifted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Up 1.4 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $7.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 1.44. The firm's 50 day moving average is $116.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analysts' expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.45 EPS. Whirlpool's quarterly revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company's stock valued at $100,304,000 after buying an additional 312,729 shares in the last quarter. RWWM Inc. acquired a new position in Whirlpool during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,174,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 240.9% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company's stock worth $38,125,000 after purchasing an additional 265,418 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 84.4% in the 2nd quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 532,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,418,000 after purchasing an additional 243,743 shares during the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.