Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $14.47 Million Stock Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 126,360 shares of the company’s stock after selling 691 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Whirlpool worth $14,466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 648.2% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 112,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,999,000 after purchasing an additional 97,152 shares in the last quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 95.6% in the third quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 151,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,174,000 after purchasing an additional 73,865 shares in the last quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at $7,275,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 379.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 47,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,112,000 after purchasing an additional 37,811 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $104.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $5.78 billion, a PE ratio of -17.81 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day moving average of $114.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.73. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $135.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.71%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is -119.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

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.