American Century Companies Inc. Has $1.59 Million Stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,557 shares of the company’s stock after selling 299 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $1,590,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. FIFTHDELTA Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,986,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 235.2% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 206,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,756,000 after purchasing an additional 145,198 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 73.2% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 321,077 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,408,000 after buying an additional 135,740 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 437.2% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 126,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,412,000 after buying an additional 103,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 1st quarter worth approximately $11,963,000. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Whirlpool Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WHR opened at $107.66 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $135.45. The company has a market cap of $5.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.83 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $99.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $99.92.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.39. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 27.67%. The business’s revenue was down 16.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.21 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 30th were given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.50%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WHR. Bank of America initiated coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Whirlpool news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Profile

Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets home appliances and related products and services in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The company's principal products include refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, and refrigerator water filters; laundry appliances, and commercial laundry products and related laundry accessories; cooking and other small domestic appliances; and dishwasher appliances and related accessories, as well as mixers.