Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, two have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $86.4286.

WHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2.8% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,299,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,208,000 after purchasing an additional 63,448 shares in the last quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 2,169,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,537,000 after buying an additional 112,579 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,221,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,189,000 after buying an additional 54,584 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the second quarter valued at approximately $71,595,000. Finally, Causeway Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 42.3% in the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 617,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,499,000 after acquiring an additional 183,496 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:WHR opened at $86.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. Whirlpool has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $135.49. The stock has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.65 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $76.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $82.13.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.68. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.18% and a positive return on equity of 19.49%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.43 EPS. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

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.