Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Sets New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $126.00 and last traded at $124.82, with a volume of 49648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $123.88.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two 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 target price of $106.50.

Whirlpool Stock Down 0.8 %

The firm has a market cap of $6.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 1.46. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $109.13 and a 200-day moving average price of $101.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 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 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $5.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.67%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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 stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SouthState Corp acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Whirlpool by 545.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 1,010.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 384 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.