Sunbelt Securities Inc. Grows Stock Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 629.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,230 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,650 shares during the period. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $432,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 20.0% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 41,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,007,000 after buying an additional 6,984 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the first quarter worth $1,054,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 471.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 69,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,262,000 after purchasing an additional 56,978 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the first quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the 1st quarter worth approximately $10,369,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In related news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of Whirlpool 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 in the company, valued at $1,907,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WHR. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a 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 target price on the stock. 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.75.

Whirlpool Trading Down 0.0 %

NYSE:WHR opened at $106.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $5.84 billion, a PE ratio of 14.73 and a beta of 1.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $99.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88. Whirlpool Co. has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $134.28.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.96 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 27.67%. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.21 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 EPS 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 dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.54%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is 96.42%.

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.