Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Cut to “Strong Sell” at Zacks Research

Zacks Research cut shares of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Tuesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts also recently commented on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $78.00 to $76.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $75.00 to $68.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Whirlpool from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $84.43.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $57.29 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $78.95 and a 200-day moving average of $78.36. Whirlpool has a one year low of $56.33 and a one year high of $111.96. The company has a market cap of $3.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.27.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.10 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 business had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.57 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-7.000 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.3%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 129.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 369 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 172.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Whirlpool by 113.4% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 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.