Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Receives $103.75 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) has earned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the five ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $103.75.

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America began coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 target price on the stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $105.11 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.63. 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 cap of $5.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.48 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $132.31.

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

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 96.42%.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at $1,907,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.8% in the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 4,858,250 shares of the company’s stock valued at $496,513,000 after buying an additional 84,574 shares during the last quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 23.8% in the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,304,000 after acquiring an additional 312,729 shares in the last quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 84.4% during the second quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 532,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,418,000 after purchasing an additional 243,743 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 462,308 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,248,000 after purchasing an additional 8,244 shares in the last quarter. 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.