StockNews.com Downgrades Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) to Sell

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Monday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Up 4.6 %

Shares of WHR opened at $126.24 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. Whirlpool has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $127.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $114.83 and a 200-day moving average of $106.27.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 323.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth $32,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 545.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Company 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.