Whirlpool’s (WHR) “Sell (D)” Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Weiss Ratings reaffirmed their sell (d) rating on shares of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) in a research note published on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WHR. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $70.00 target price (down from $100.00) on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Loop Capital reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $88.00 price objective on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Monday, August 4th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $80.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $89.71.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $73.67 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $83.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $86.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of -27.80 and a beta of 1.17. Whirlpool has a fifty-two week low of $71.00 and a fifty-two week high of $135.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.54 by ($0.20). Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 20.81% and a negative net margin of 0.95%.The company had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.88 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.39 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be paid a $0.90 dividend. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently -135.85%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,235,977 shares of the company’s stock worth $201,529,000 after acquiring an additional 117,964 shares during the period. Abel Hall LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter worth approximately $1,205,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 13.1% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 44,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,022,000 after purchasing an additional 5,202 shares in the last quarter. First City Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at approximately $409,000. Finally, CCM Investment Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 1st quarter worth approximately $628,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.