Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 87.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,166 shares of the company’s stock after selling 116,661 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $2,090,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 160.0% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Whirlpool by 190.7% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter valued at $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WHR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital started coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TheStreet raised Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $114.60.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $105.65 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $109.71 and its 200-day moving average is $113.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.77 billion, a PE ratio of 12.13 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. Whirlpool Co. has a 12-month low of $98.40 and a 12-month high of $160.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.70 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.42 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 2.47%. Whirlpool’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 13.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.37%.

Whirlpool 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.