Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) Short Interest Down 14.2% in March

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 10,907,616 shares, a decrease of 14.2% from the March 15th total of 12,713,778 shares. Approximately 19.7% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 2,561,294 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $56.75 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $64.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.22. Whirlpool has a 1 year low of $50.41 and a 1 year high of $111.96. The company has a market capitalization of $3.21 billion, a PE ratio of 10.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.54 by ($0.44). Whirlpool had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 2.04%.The firm had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.27 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $4.57 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-7.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.3%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is 63.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at $31,959,000. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at $22,729,000. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 2,795.1% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 234,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,789,000 after purchasing an additional 226,462 shares in the last quarter. RWWM Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 68.4% during the third quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 555,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,653,000 after purchasing an additional 225,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newport Trust Company LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 2,391,252 shares of the company’s stock valued at $172,505,000 after purchasing an additional 221,564 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WHR. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Whirlpool to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $82.00.

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.