Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Receives $103.75 Average PT from Analysts

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) has earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $103.75.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WHR. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 26th.

Whirlpool Price Performance

NYSE WHR opened at $102.41 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $99.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.00. Whirlpool has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $135.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.11 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.39. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 27.67% and a net margin of 2.89%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.96 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $4.21 EPS. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Whirlpool will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $326,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 61.7% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 4,881 shares of the company’s stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 1,863 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at $110,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 54.9% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 6,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $795,000 after acquiring an additional 2,312 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 52.7% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 1,571 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 34,871 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,247,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.