Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Stock Price Down 5.9% Following Analyst Downgrade

Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) shares were down 5.9% on Monday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on the stock from $59.00 to $52.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Whirlpool traded as low as $42.28 and last traded at $42.2940. Approximately 654,041 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 2,614,620 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.96.

WHR has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho started coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Monday, April 20th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Whirlpool to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven 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 target price of $68.89.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,429,230 shares of the company’s stock worth $175,245,000 after buying an additional 80,122 shares during the period. RWWM Inc. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 191.6% in the 1st quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 2,422,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $130,628,000 after buying an additional 1,591,849 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 2,391,252 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,505,000 after buying an additional 221,564 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,279,044 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,472,000 after acquiring an additional 29,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Causeway Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 42.3% during the 3rd quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 617,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,499,000 after acquiring an additional 183,496 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Trading Down 8.6%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.43. The company has a market capitalization of $2.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.98, a PEG ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 1.23.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported ($0.56) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.99). Whirlpool had a return on equity of 7.68% and a net margin of 1.08%.The business had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.70 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.000-3.500 EPS. Research analysts predict that Whirlpool Corporation will post 4.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 27th were issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 27th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 122.45%.

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.