Principal Securities Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Principal Securities Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 25.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 475 shares of the company’s stock after selling 159 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $54,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 648.2% during the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 112,141 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,999,000 after buying an additional 97,152 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 95.6% during the third quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 151,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,174,000 after buying an additional 73,865 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter worth about $7,275,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 379.4% in the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 47,776 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,112,000 after acquiring an additional 37,811 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Whirlpool Stock Down 1.5 %

WHR stock opened at $102.70 on Friday. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $135.49. The stock has a market cap of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -17.53 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company’s 50 day moving average is $113.88 and its 200 day moving average is $108.69.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -119.45%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WHR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.00.

About Whirlpool

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.