Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Position Trimmed by Primecap Management Co. CA

Primecap Management Co. CA trimmed its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 3.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,670,586 shares of the company’s stock after selling 165,704 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA owned about 0.08% of Whirlpool worth $534,689,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,719,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company’s stock worth $72,917,000 after purchasing an additional 223,232 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 648.2% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 112,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,999,000 after purchasing an additional 97,152 shares during the period. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,275,000. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

NYSE:WHR opened at $94.43 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $108.70 and its 200-day moving average is $108.43. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $135.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $5.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.11 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th were paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.41%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently -119.45%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WHR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

About Whirlpool

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.