Norges Bank Buys Shares of 641,751 Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 641,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $73,468,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.16% of Whirlpool at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 323.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WHR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

NYSE:WHR opened at $90.66 on Thursday. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $135.49. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $101.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.95. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a PE ratio of -15.47 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share 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 firm posted $3.85 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.72%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently -119.45%.

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.