Brokerages Set Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Target Price at $103.75

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) has been assigned an average rating of “Reduce” from the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $103.75.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America started coverage on Whirlpool in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In related news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at $1,907,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.05% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FIFTHDELTA Ltd acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,986,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Whirlpool by 46.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,304,000 after acquiring an additional 312,729 shares during the period. RWWM Inc. acquired a new position in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 23.8% during the second quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,402,941 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,381,000 after acquiring an additional 269,976 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 240.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,125,000 after purchasing an additional 265,418 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Down 0.8 %

WHR opened at $102.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $5.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.96. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $99.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $100.07. Whirlpool has a twelve month low of $84.18 and a twelve month high of $135.45.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 27.67%. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $4.21 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 11.31 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 30th were issued a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.83%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.42%.

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.