Avior Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Avior Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew 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 acquiring an additional 312,729 shares during the period. RWWM Inc. purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter worth about $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 23.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,402,941 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,381,000 after buying an additional 269,976 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 240.9% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,125,000 after acquiring an additional 265,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 84.4% during the second quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 532,466 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,418,000 after purchasing an additional 243,743 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased 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. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock 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 given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $112.52 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $105.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.75.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued 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 return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.22%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In related news, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,070 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,907,000. This trade represents a 14.62 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, 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 insiders.

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.