Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Rating Lowered to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday morning.

WHR has been the subject of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. TheStreet raised Whirlpool from a d+ rating to a c+ rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an underperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $113.40.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WHR opened at $96.86 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $108.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $112.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a PE ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 1.48. Whirlpool has a 1-year low of $91.90 and a 1-year high of $160.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.42 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 35.16%. Whirlpool’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 13.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.23%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 96.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Whirlpool by 23.3% during the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 47,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,718,000 after acquiring an additional 9,041 shares during the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $225,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 235.2% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 206,939 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,756,000 after purchasing an additional 145,198 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,466 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. Finally, Securian Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 30.5% in the first quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $541,000 after buying an additional 1,058 shares during the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.