The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Price Target to $138.00

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) had its price target boosted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $125.00 to $138.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the stock.

WHR has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $112.80.

Whirlpool Trading Up 4.6 %

Shares of Whirlpool stock traded up $5.57 on Tuesday, reaching $126.24. The company had a trading volume of 1,972,597 shares, compared to its average volume of 934,856. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $114.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. Whirlpool has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $127.69. The firm has a market cap of $6.96 billion, a PE ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. 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 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the firm'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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.05% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings 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. purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 23.8% in the second 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 in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% during 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 in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Whirlpool

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.