Hodges Capital Management Inc. Acquires New Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Hodges Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,992 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $228,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WHR. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 440,175 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,099,000 after purchasing an additional 6,049 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,033,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,567,000 after purchasing an additional 18,936 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 14.7% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,094,000 after buying an additional 258,871 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Whirlpool by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,650,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,591,000 after acquiring an additional 15,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 10.7% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 76,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,208,000 after buying an additional 7,405 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on 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 boosted their price target 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. 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 report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Down 5.6 %

NYSE WHR opened at $99.16 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $119.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.31. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $135.49.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 21.89%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Company Profile

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.