Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Stock Price Down 5.9% Following Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) fell 5.9% during trading on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $59.00 to $52.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Whirlpool traded as low as $42.28 and last traded at $42.2940. 654,041 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average session volume of 2,614,620 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.96.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on WHR. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Whirlpool to a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $60.00 to $50.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $55.00 target price on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Monday, May 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $68.89.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WHR. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 172.0% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Whirlpool by 129.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 113.4% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Trading Down 8.6%

The company has a market cap of $2.66 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a P/E/G ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 1.23. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $56.65 and its 200-day moving average is $70.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.99). Whirlpool had a net margin of 1.08% and a return on equity of 7.68%. The business had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 EPS. Whirlpool’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Corporation will post 4.31 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 27th were paid a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 27th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.8%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 122.45%.

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.