Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $75.04 and last traded at $85.52, with a volume of 2131384 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $77.44.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.3 %

The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.86 and a beta of 1.31.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.62%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -119.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 5.5% in the first quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 81,321 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,329,000 after acquiring an additional 4,264 shares during the period. Bank & Trust Co boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 78.7% during the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,000 after purchasing an additional 1,380 shares in the last quarter. Kwmg LLC grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 47,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,303,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 149,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,440,000 after buying an additional 1,337 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 20,810.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 57,503 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,183,000 after buying an additional 57,228 shares during the period. 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.