J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 695 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lessened its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,132 shares of the company’s stock after selling 695 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $218,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FIFTHDELTA Ltd purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the 1st quarter worth about $50,986,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,503,000. Fidelity National Financial Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool during the second quarter valued at approximately $20,440,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 235.2% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 206,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,756,000 after purchasing an additional 145,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in Whirlpool by 73.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 321,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,408,000 after purchasing an additional 135,740 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $103.40 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $99.63 and its 200 day moving average is $100.10. 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 quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.24 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting 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 return on equity of 27.67% and a net margin of 2.89%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.21 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.77%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.42%.

Insider Activity

In other Whirlpool 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 owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WHR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on 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 began coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.