Natixis Advisors L.P. Sells 2,027 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 14.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,802 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,027 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $1,558,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cutler Group LLC CA acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 96.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 526.3% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 90.89% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, CEO Marc R. Bitzer sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.18, for a total value of $2,863,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 138,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,842,313.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Whirlpool news, CEO Marc R. Bitzer sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.18, for a total value of $2,863,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 138,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,842,313.94. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $143.12, for a total transaction of $858,720.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 40,764 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,834,143.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.85% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR opened at $141.95 on Monday. Whirlpool Co. has a 52 week low of $124.10 and a 52 week high of $163.15. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $144.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.92.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 24th. The company reported $4.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.76 by $0.45. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 8.13% and a positive return on equity of 29.70%. The business had revenue of $4.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.81 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.97 EPS. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 16.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 25th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 24th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.93%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -24.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on WHR. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 25th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $118.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 26th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $90.00 to $87.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $131.00.

About Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets home appliances and related products and services in 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.