Hancock Whitney Corp Takes Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Hancock Whitney Corp purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 5,450 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $583,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 5.0% in the third quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 24,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,166 shares in the last quarter. Round Hill Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. Round Hill Asset Management now owns 12,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,300,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 26.5% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 36,409 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,896,000 after purchasing an additional 7,622 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,094,000 after acquiring an additional 258,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2.2% in the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $747,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

NYSE WHR opened at $112.36 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.08 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $125.68. The company has a 50 day moving average of $106.53 and a 200-day moving average of $100.10.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.45 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at $1,907,000. This represents 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of 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 decreased their price objective on 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 target price on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.50.

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.