Rockland Trust Co. Boosts Stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Rockland Trust Co. increased its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 4.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,193 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 354 shares during the quarter. Rockland Trust Co.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WHR. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Whirlpool by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 1,786 shares of the company’s stock valued at $217,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 5,006 shares of the company’s stock worth $599,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust increased its position in Whirlpool by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in Whirlpool by 1.1% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,247 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,558,000 after buying an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 2.5% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,005 shares of the company’s stock worth $838,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In other news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $326,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at $1,907,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WHR traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $104.19. 532,299 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,224,307. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $132.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $99.43 and a 200 day moving average of $99.95. The company has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 27.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $4.21 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WHR. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target 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 began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.75.

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.