Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Hits New 1-Year Low – Here’s Why

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $75.04 and last traded at $85.52, with a volume of 2131384 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $77.44.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WHR. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of -14.59 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $106.99.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.85 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were issued a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently -119.45%.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank & Trust Co increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 78.7% in the first quarter. Bank & Trust Co now owns 3,134 shares of the company’s stock valued at $282,000 after buying an additional 1,380 shares during the last quarter. Kwmg LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 4.0% in the first quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 47,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,303,000 after acquiring an additional 1,854 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 0.9% in the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 149,114 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,440,000 after acquiring an additional 1,337 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 20,810.2% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 57,503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,183,000 after acquiring an additional 57,228 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,449,000 after acquiring an additional 2,326 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.