Whirlpool (WHR) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) is scheduled to be releasing its earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect Whirlpool to post earnings of $1.70 per share for the quarter.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $3.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.53 by $0.32. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 2.47%. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.89 EPS. Whirlpool’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Whirlpool to post $14 EPS for the current fiscal year and $15 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

NYSE:WHR traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $104.62. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 304,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,281,383. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $110.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $113.92. The stock has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 1.48. Whirlpool has a 12-month low of $98.40 and a 12-month high of $160.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.69%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 30.1% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,001,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $792,338,000 after buying an additional 1,389,657 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2.4% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,140,080 shares of the company’s stock worth $467,213,000 after purchasing an additional 72,732 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 4.4% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,154,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $199,541,000 after purchasing an additional 48,510 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 1.6% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,135,788 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,837,000 after purchasing an additional 18,214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 5.1% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 929,975 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,338,000 after purchasing an additional 44,865 shares during the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.