US Bancorp DE Grows Stock Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 23.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 24,043 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,555 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $2,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Whirlpool by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after acquiring an additional 258,871 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Whirlpool by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,650,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,591,000 after acquiring an additional 15,752 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,033,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,567,000 after acquiring an additional 18,936 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 903,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $96,664,000 after acquiring an additional 11,766 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in Whirlpool by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,917,000 after acquiring an additional 223,232 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $93.81 on Friday. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $135.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $111.83 and a 200-day moving average of $108.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of -16.01 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.85 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.46%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is -119.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WHR has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.00.

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.