Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) have earned an average recommendation of “Reduce” from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.4286.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WHR. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Whirlpool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Whirlpool Trading Down 4.3%

Shares of NYSE:WHR opened at $73.62 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $73.65 and a 200 day moving average of $84.64. The company has a market cap of $4.13 billion, a PE ratio of -21.91 and a beta of 1.21. Whirlpool has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $135.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.68. The business had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.18% and a positive return on equity of 19.49%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -107.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Abel Hall LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the second quarter worth $1,205,000. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 30.4% during the 2nd quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 77,273 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,837,000 after acquiring an additional 18,000 shares in the last quarter. First City Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $409,000. Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 26.6% in the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 32,718 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,949,000 after purchasing an additional 6,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 51.7% during the 2nd quarter. Fishman Jay A Ltd. MI now owns 154,972 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,717,000 after buying an additional 52,825 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Company Profile

Whirlpool Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, with a product portfolio that spans major categories such as laundry, refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing and small electrics. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the company designs, produces and distributes its appliances through a network of wholly owned manufacturing facilities, joint ventures and third-party partners. Whirlpool serves both retail and professional markets, offering products under its flagship Whirlpool brand as well as several well-known names including Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Brastemp and Consul.

In its laundry segment, Whirlpool provides top- and front-load washing machines, dryers and combination units designed to balance energy efficiency, capacity and convenience.