Analysts Set Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) PT at $112.80

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $112.80.

Several analysts recently weighed in on WHR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America upped their target price on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $131.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $116.40 and a 200-day moving average of $107.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool has a fifty-two week low of $84.18 and a fifty-two week high of $132.09.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the 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 sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 2.05% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WHR. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 4.5% in the third 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 during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Courier Capital LLC boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 8,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.