Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce” from Brokerages

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

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price target for the company.

Whirlpool Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $104.77 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $100.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.35. Whirlpool has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $132.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.96. The company has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 14.43 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.68%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.42%.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In related news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WHR. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Whirlpool by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Whirlpool by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,247 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,558,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 2.5% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,005 shares of the company’s stock valued at $838,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.