Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.4286.

WHR has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research raised Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “underperform” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th.

Whirlpool Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $84.66 on Friday. Whirlpool has a 1-year low of $65.35 and a 1-year high of $135.49. The company has a market cap of $4.75 billion, a PE ratio of -25.20 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The company has a 50-day moving average of $75.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.91.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.43 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 56.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,000 after purchasing an additional 1,129 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 206.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,000 after buying an additional 5,746 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 15.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 214,918 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,371,000 after acquiring an additional 27,995 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 64.1% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the company’s stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in Whirlpool during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,178,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.