Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Grows Position in Whirlpool Corporation $WHR

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) by 57.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 35,329 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,951 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $2,549,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 2,795.1% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 234,564 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,789,000 after purchasing an additional 226,462 shares during the last quarter. RWWM Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 68.4% during the third quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 555,380 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,653,000 after purchasing an additional 225,513 shares during the last quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 42.3% during the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 617,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,499,000 after purchasing an additional 183,496 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter valued at about $11,489,000. Finally, Newport Trust Company LLC lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 5.5% during the third quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 2,169,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $170,537,000 after purchasing an additional 112,579 shares during the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Trading Down 6.2%

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $53.07 on Tuesday. Whirlpool Corporation has a 12-month low of $50.41 and a 12-month high of $111.96. The company has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39, a PEG ratio of 10.93 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $58.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.86.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Investors of record on Friday, February 27th were given a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is 63.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Whirlpool to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell (d)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $72.89.

About Whirlpool

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.