Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on the stock from $125.00 to $138.00. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Whirlpool traded as high as $127.32 and last traded at $126.27, with a volume of 528620 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $120.67.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WHR. StockNews.com cut shares of Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,304,000 after buying an additional 312,729 shares during the period. RWWM Inc. acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the 2nd quarter worth $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 23.8% in the 2nd quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,402,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $143,381,000 after purchasing an additional 269,976 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 240.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,125,000 after purchasing an additional 265,418 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after buying an additional 258,871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $114.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $106.10. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The company has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $5.45 EPS. Analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current year.

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.