Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Shares Sold by Delta Financial Advisors LLC

Delta Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,428 shares of the company’s stock after selling 254 shares during the quarter. Delta Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 96.2% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 160.0% during the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 526.3% during the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.7 %

WHR traded up $0.68 on Thursday, reaching $104.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 334,258 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,977. The stock has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 1.48. Whirlpool Co. has a 1 year low of $98.40 and a 1 year high of $160.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50 day moving average is $110.15 and its 200 day moving average is $113.92.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $3.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.53 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.98 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 2.47%. Whirlpool’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.89 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 13.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 80.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WHR. TheStreet raised Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Loop Capital began coverage on Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Whirlpool from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $114.60.

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.