Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Sets New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $130.85 and last traded at $131.81, with a volume of 631779 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $128.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Up 1.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $116.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $107.07. The company has a market cap of $7.26 billion, a PE ratio of 12.98 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WHR. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 26,354 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,017,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 56.4% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rockland Trust Co. increased its position in Whirlpool by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 8,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.