Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Buys 16,421 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,220 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,421 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $6,563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool during the first quarter valued at $45,000. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 82.5% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Whirlpool by 80.6% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC increased its position in Whirlpool by 542.9% during the first quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 755.0% in the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 453 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR opened at $97.61 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.33 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $100.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $100.67. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $84.18 and a fifty-two week high of $138.90.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.21 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.17%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is 96.42%.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America started coverage on Whirlpool in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.75.

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.