South Dakota Investment Council Sells 1,400 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

South Dakota Investment Council trimmed its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 110,546 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,400 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $12,655,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 323.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 113.6% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 216.0% during the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.00.

Whirlpool Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE WHR opened at $104.82 on Friday. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $84.18 and a 12 month high of $135.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -17.89 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $115.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $108.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm posted $3.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.68%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is presently -119.45%.

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.