Costello Asset Management INC Sells 15,206 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Costello Asset Management INC decreased its position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 47.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 16,523 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,206 shares during the period. Whirlpool makes up about 1.3% of Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Costello Asset Management INC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $1,892,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 323.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 545.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR opened at $104.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $5.79 billion, a PE ratio of -17.91 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool Co. has a 1 year low of $84.18 and a 1 year high of $135.49. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $119.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.40.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.61%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.85 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 11.43 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on WHR. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.80.

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.