Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Receives $103.75 Average Target Price from Analysts

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.75.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WHR shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 26th.

Whirlpool Price Performance

NYSE:WHR opened at $102.37 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $98.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $101.29. Whirlpool has a 1 year low of $84.18 and a 1 year high of $142.52.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The company reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.39. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 27.67% and a net margin of 2.89%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.21 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 16.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 11.31 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 30th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.84%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is 96.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in Whirlpool during the 4th quarter worth about $402,000. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 79.4% during the fourth quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 436 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $387,000. abrdn plc raised its stake in Whirlpool by 35.7% in the fourth quarter. abrdn plc now owns 27,898 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,397,000 after buying an additional 7,343 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 112.0% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Whirlpool

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.