KBC Group NV Purchases 800 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

KBC Group NV increased its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 45.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,547 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 800 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $292,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Whirlpool by 4.5% during the third quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the company’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 26,354 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,017,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 8,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Down 5.6 %

WHR stock opened at $99.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of -16.92 and a beta of 1.43. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $135.49. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $119.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.31.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its earnings results 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 negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.85 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.80.

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.