Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the five analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.75.

Several analysts have commented on the company. Bank of America started coverage on Whirlpool in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target 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.

Insider Activity

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 value of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the first quarter valued at about $45,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 1,010.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Whirlpool stock opened at $103.21 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $99.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool has a 12-month low of $84.18 and a 12-month high of $132.31.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.39. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 27.67% and a net margin of 2.89%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.21 EPS. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 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.