Brokerages Set Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) Target Price at $86.43

Shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.4286.

Several brokerages have recently commented on WHR. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Whirlpool by 1,444.4% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 556 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 520 shares during the period. Advisory Services Network LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 36,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,838,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 1.4% in the third quarter. Abel Hall LLC now owns 12,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $947,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 8.4% during the third quarter. Synergy Financial Group LTD now owns 2,563 shares of the company’s stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 199 shares during the period. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the third quarter worth $415,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WHR opened at $72.11 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.86. Whirlpool has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $135.49. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $73.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $84.23. The firm has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a P/E ratio of -21.46 and a beta of 1.21.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.68. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 19.49% and a negative net margin of 1.18%.The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.43 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st were paid a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 21st. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is presently -107.14%.

Whirlpool Company Profile

Whirlpool Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, with a product portfolio that spans major categories such as laundry, refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing and small electrics. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the company designs, produces and distributes its appliances through a network of wholly owned manufacturing facilities, joint ventures and third-party partners. Whirlpool serves both retail and professional markets, offering products under its flagship Whirlpool brand as well as several well-known names including Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Brastemp and Consul.

In its laundry segment, Whirlpool provides top- and front-load washing machines, dryers and combination units designed to balance energy efficiency, capacity and convenience.