Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Shares Purchased by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can lifted its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 45.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 26,251 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,150 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $2,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Hancock Whitney Corp acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the third quarter valued at $583,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 24,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,604,000 after acquiring an additional 1,166 shares during the period. Round Hill Asset Management increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Round Hill Asset Management now owns 12,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after acquiring an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 26.5% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 36,409 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,896,000 after purchasing an additional 7,622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $109.55 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company has a market capitalization of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 1.46. Whirlpool Co. has a twelve month low of $84.18 and a twelve month high of $125.68.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 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, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WHR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

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.