Cerity Partners LLC Boosts Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 26.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 36,409 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 7,622 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $3,896,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WHR. SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 1,010.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 80.6% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at $1,907,000. The trade was a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was 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. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Whirlpool stock opened at $111.42 on Friday. Whirlpool Co. has a 1 year low of $84.18 and a 1 year high of $125.68. 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $107.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $100.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $5.45 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.28%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.50.

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.