Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Reduce” by Brokerages

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the four research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has assigned a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $106.50.

Several brokerages have weighed in on WHR. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 545.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring 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 acquiring an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of WHR stock opened at $109.55 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $6.04 billion, a PE ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $107.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.77. Whirlpool has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $125.68.

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

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.39%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.03%.

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.