Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Receives $103.75 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the five research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.75.

WHR has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Whirlpool from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $88.00 price objective for the company.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $102.50 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $5.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a 50 day moving average of $99.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $100.07. Whirlpool has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $135.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88.

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

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 30th were given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 30th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is 96.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $326,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its position in Whirlpool by 20.0% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 41,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,007,000 after purchasing an additional 6,984 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in Whirlpool during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,054,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 471.3% in the first quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 69,067 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,262,000 after acquiring an additional 56,978 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool in the first quarter worth approximately $219,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 1st quarter worth $10,369,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.