Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Sets New 1-Year Low at $88.85

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $88.85 and last traded at $89.00, with a volume of 76591 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.52.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WHR shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 26th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $111.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $103.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $109.38. The firm has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.91 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.17. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 35.16%. The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.10%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.42%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 190.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter valued at about $39,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. ORG Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 1st quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.