Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Reaches New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $126.00 and last traded at $124.82, with a volume of 49648 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $123.88.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.50.

Whirlpool Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $108.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.67. The firm has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a PE ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 1.46.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.45 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.57%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WHR. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 46.8% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock valued at $100,304,000 after purchasing an additional 312,729 shares in the last quarter. RWWM Inc. purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC grew its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 240.9% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,125,000 after buying an additional 265,418 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Whirlpool by 14.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after buying an additional 258,871 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Company 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.