StockNews.com Upgrades Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) to “Hold”

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) was upgraded by StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Whirlpool stock opened at $130.07 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $130.85. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $116.40 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $107.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $5.45 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 69,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,132,000 after acquiring an additional 3,584 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 46.8% in 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 last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 16.0% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 10,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,099,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 7.8% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 44,793 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,578,000 after purchasing an additional 3,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1,010.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

About Whirlpool

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.