Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Acquires 52,518 Shares of Whirlpool Corporation $WHR

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) by 58.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 142,287 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 52,518 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned 0.25% of Whirlpool worth $11,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Whirlpool in the second quarter worth approximately $71,595,000. Curi Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 2nd quarter valued at $57,699,000. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 357.2% in the 2nd quarter. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. now owns 533,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,123,000 after acquiring an additional 416,945 shares in the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2,795.1% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 234,564 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,789,000 after purchasing an additional 226,462 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 72.1% during the second quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 292,425 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,658,000 after purchasing an additional 122,493 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $83.43 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.03 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $83.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.83 and a beta of 1.24. Whirlpool Corporation 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.68. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.18% and a positive return on equity of 19.49%. The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.43 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Whirlpool Corporation will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were issued a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.3%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently -107.14%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WHR shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Whirlpool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $86.43.

About Whirlpool

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.