Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Stock Sees Unusually High Put Option Buying

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 31,155 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 362% compared to the average volume of 6,739 put options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth $141,801,000. RWWM Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 191.6% during the 1st quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 2,422,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,628,000 after acquiring an additional 1,591,849 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth about $61,003,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $51,953,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,279,044 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,472,000 after acquiring an additional 29,162 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America cut their price target on Whirlpool from $38.00 to $31.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $42.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $45.44.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

WHR traded down $0.15 on Monday, hitting $31.56. 1,166,459 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,630,349. Whirlpool has a 52 week low of $30.30 and a 52 week high of $94.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 10.80, a P/E/G ratio of 14.09 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $38.25 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $43.84.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.15). Whirlpool had a return on equity of 4.18% and a net margin of 1.17%.The firm had revenue of $3.52 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.55 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.500-3.000 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 2.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Company Profile

Whirlpool Corporation is a global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances. The company develops products designed for food preservation, laundry, cooking, dishwashing and other household needs, serving consumers through retail, e-commerce and builder channels.

Its product portfolio includes refrigerators and freezers, washing machines and dryers, ranges and ovens, dishwashers, microwaves and other kitchen appliances. Whirlpool markets products under brands including Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana and JennAir, with brand availability varying by market.

Founded in 1911 as the Upton Machine Company, Whirlpool is headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan.