Ceera Investments LLC Sells 2,837 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Ceera Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 49.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,873 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,837 shares during the quarter. Ceera Investments LLC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,118,013 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,470,000 after purchasing an additional 98,444 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Whirlpool by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,650,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,591,000 after purchasing an additional 15,752 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,033,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,567,000 after buying an additional 18,936 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 903,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,664,000 after buying an additional 11,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,917,000 after buying an additional 223,232 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $94.98 on Friday. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $135.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $5.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.21 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $111.42 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.78.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.85 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.37%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently -119.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WHR. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. 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, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

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.