Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Lowered to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) was downgraded by investment analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America raised their target price on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

WHR opened at $126.24 on Monday. Whirlpool has a 1-year low of $84.18 and a 1-year high of $127.69. The company has a market cap of $6.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 1.44. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $114.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $106.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its 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 return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. 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 firm earned $5.45 earnings per share. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In related news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the second quarter worth about $32,000. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its position in Whirlpool by 25.0% during the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 179,895 shares of the company’s stock valued at $18,385,000 after purchasing an additional 35,957 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Whirlpool by 5.4% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 69,786 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,132,000 after buying an additional 3,584 shares in the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 161.6% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,000 after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% during 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 in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.