Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Shares Gap Up to $87.03

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Wednesday . The stock had previously closed at $87.03, but opened at $103.31. Whirlpool shares last traded at $98.46, with a volume of 4,540,441 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WHR. StockNews.com cut Whirlpool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $63.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $111.00.

Whirlpool Stock Down 1.0 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $92.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $105.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 1.48.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.42 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 35.16%. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.37 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th were issued a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 96.42%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,536,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $873,919,000 after purchasing an additional 25,740 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 4,729,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $575,964,000 after acquiring an additional 26,630 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,425,552 shares of the company’s stock valued at $173,589,000 after acquiring an additional 14,826 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 3,554.4% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,382,430 shares of the company’s stock worth $168,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344,601 shares during the period. Finally, Newport Trust Company LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,169,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $142,354,000 after purchasing an additional 103,909 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.