First Horizon Advisors Inc. Cuts Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

First Horizon Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 4.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,322 shares of the company’s stock after selling 466 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $1,135,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Essex Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 47.2% during the 4th quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $713,000 after acquiring an additional 1,878 shares during the period. Arnhold LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 12.7% during the fourth quarter. Arnhold LLC now owns 99,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,109,000 after purchasing an additional 11,198 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 11.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,704,000 after purchasing an additional 1,413 shares during the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 23.9% in the fourth quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 32,745 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,987,000 after buying an additional 6,313 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Investment House LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 12.1% during the 4th quarter. Investment House LLC now owns 3,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 350 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TheStreet upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Loop Capital started coverage on Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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, April 26th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Whirlpool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.40.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $95.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.16 and a beta of 1.52. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $91.90 and a one year high of $160.62. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $111.72.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.17. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.42 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 35.16%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.53 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.33%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 96.42%.

Whirlpool 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.