AQR Capital Management LLC Increases Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 240.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 375,613 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 265,418 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.68% of Whirlpool worth $38,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WHR. SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 1,010.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 80.6% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research 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 objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.75.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $107.66 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.98. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $135.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.83 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 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 company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.21 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.50%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is 96.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In related news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.05% 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.