Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $130.85 and last traded at $131.81, with a volume of 631779 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $128.87.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WHR. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.1 %

The company has a market capitalization of $7.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.03 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $116.82 and its 200-day moving average is $107.29.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.19% and a return on equity of 21.41%. The firm’s revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $5.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.05% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 323.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 56.4% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 545.5% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1,010.5% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 384 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.