Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR)

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Traders bought 41,624 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 489% compared to the typical daily volume of 7,065 put options.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 56.7% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 3,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $281,000 after buying an additional 1,129 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 206.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 8,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $769,000 after acquiring an additional 5,746 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 15.0% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 214,918 shares of the company’s stock worth $19,371,000 after acquiring an additional 27,995 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 3.2% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 229,566 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,283,000 after acquiring an additional 7,151 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 129.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

WHR stock traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $43.93. 1,421,970 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,680,326. Whirlpool has a 52 week low of $35.45 and a 52 week high of $96.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 15.04, a P/E/G ratio of 16.23 and a beta of 1.16.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The company reported ($0.21) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.15). The firm had revenue of $3.52 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.55 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 1.17% and a return on equity of 4.18%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.500-3.000 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 2.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WHR shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Whirlpool from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 27th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $43.00 target price for the company. Mizuho decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $59.00 to $52.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $46.88.

Whirlpool Company Profile

Whirlpool Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, with a product portfolio that spans major categories such as laundry, refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing and small electrics. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the company designs, produces and distributes its appliances through a network of wholly owned manufacturing facilities, joint ventures and third-party partners. Whirlpool serves both retail and professional markets, offering products under its flagship Whirlpool brand as well as several well-known names including Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Brastemp and Consul.

In its laundry segment, Whirlpool provides top- and front-load washing machines, dryers and combination units designed to balance energy efficiency, capacity and convenience.