Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Reaches New 52-Week Low at $95.21

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $95.21 and last traded at $96.20, with a volume of 1840550 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $105.68.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Whirlpool Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The company’s 50-day moving average is $109.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.13.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.17. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.66 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.37%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.37%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 19.6% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 90,465 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,095,000 after buying an additional 14,851 shares in the last quarter. IFG Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 47.0% in the 4th quarter. Gilman Hill Asset Management LLC now owns 79,926 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,733,000 after purchasing an additional 25,541 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $6,373,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 428,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,253,000 after purchasing an additional 19,036 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

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.