Optimist Retirement Group LLC Invests $261,000 in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Optimist Retirement Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its position in Whirlpool by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 4,858,250 shares of the company’s stock worth $496,513,000 after buying an additional 84,574 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 312,729 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 462,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,248,000 after acquiring an additional 8,244 shares during the period. FIFTHDELTA Ltd acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the first quarter valued at $50,986,000. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 73.2% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 321,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,408,000 after acquiring an additional 135,740 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

WHR opened at $100.88 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $100.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.90 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $138.90. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.39. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 27.67%. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.96 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $4.21 EPS. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WHR shares. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of 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 started coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.75.

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.