The Goldman Sachs Group Boosts Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Price Target to $138.00

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) had its price objective upped by The Goldman Sachs Group from $125.00 to $138.00 in a research note released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the stock.

WHR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Price Performance

WHR stock opened at $128.88 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $115.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $106.59. Whirlpool has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $130.39. The company has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.71 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Whirlpool by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,345 shares of the company’s stock valued at $251,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 26,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,017,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 8,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.