Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Tuesday morning.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on WHR. 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 report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Trading Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $131.86 on Tuesday. Whirlpool has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $132.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $116.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $107.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.45 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company’s 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 owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Whirlpool by 5.4% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 69,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,132,000 after acquiring an additional 3,584 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,304,000 after purchasing an additional 312,729 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 10,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,099,000 after buying an additional 1,487 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 7.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 44,793 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,578,000 after buying an additional 3,225 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 1,010.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.