Round Hill Asset Management Sells 535 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Round Hill Asset Management trimmed its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,619 shares of the company’s stock after selling 535 shares during the quarter. Whirlpool comprises approximately 0.9% of Round Hill Asset Management’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest position. Round Hill Asset Management’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $1,330,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 57.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,808,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $207,065,000 after purchasing an additional 659,014 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth $73,468,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,917,000 after acquiring an additional 223,232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,118,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,470,000 after acquiring an additional 98,444 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on WHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.00.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $85.66 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.74 billion, a PE ratio of -14.62 and a beta of 1.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $99.34 and a 200 day moving average of $107.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $78.36 and a 12 month high of $135.49.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.17%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is -119.45%.

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.