Meeder Asset Management Inc. Increases Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 379.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 47,776 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 37,811 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $5,112,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 41.5% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 43,261 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,421,000 after purchasing an additional 12,697 shares during the period. American International Group Inc. grew its position in Whirlpool by 406.5% during the 1st quarter. American International Group Inc. now owns 72,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,708,000 after purchasing an additional 58,420 shares during the period. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 76,709 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,208,000 after purchasing an additional 7,405 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,605,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 253.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 4,431 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Trading Down 0.8 %

WHR opened at $111.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $104.48 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $99.26. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $125.68. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.45 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is presently 69.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were 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 owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. The trade was 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 the SEC website. Also, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

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.