Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Reaches New 52-Week Low at $95.21

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $95.21 and last traded at $96.20, with a volume of 1840550 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $105.68.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WHR. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. TheStreet raised shares of Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $114.60.

Whirlpool Price Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $109.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.13. The stock has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.17. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.42 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.37%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is 80.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. CWM LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 27.2% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 576 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 160.0% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 262.6% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 19,670 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,630,000 after acquiring an additional 14,246 shares during the last quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,310 shares of the company’s stock worth $309,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.