Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $112.80.

WHR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

WHR stock opened at $130.07 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $116.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.82. Whirlpool has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $130.85. The company has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.83 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.45 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Whirlpool will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. IVC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at about $236,000. Advisory Alpha LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Atomi Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $231,000. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.