Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Price Target Lowered to $79.00 at Royal Bank of Canada

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) had its target price trimmed by Royal Bank of Canada from $85.00 to $79.00 in a report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have an underperform rating on the stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital initiated coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. TheStreet upgraded Whirlpool from a d+ rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $113.40.

Whirlpool Stock Down 0.4 %

Whirlpool stock opened at $94.60 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $109.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $112.79. Whirlpool has a 52-week low of $91.90 and a 52-week high of $160.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.17. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 35.16%. The business had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.66 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 13.4 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.40%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 96.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 160.0% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Whirlpool by 190.7% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 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.