Moors & Cabot Inc. Acquires 2,870 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Moors & Cabot Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 72.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,829 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,870 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $698,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WHR. FIFTHDELTA Ltd bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,986,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Whirlpool by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,304,000 after buying an additional 312,729 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $31,503,000. Fidelity National Financial Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at $20,440,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 235.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 206,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,756,000 after purchasing an additional 145,198 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WHR shares. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.75.

Insider Activity

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 shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,907,000. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WHR opened at $100.88 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s 50-day moving average is $99.73 and its 200 day moving average is $100.07. 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 released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 27.67%. The company’s revenue was down 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.21 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.94%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is presently 96.42%.

Whirlpool 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.