Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Hits New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $126.00 and last traded at $124.82, with a volume of 49648 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $123.88.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.50.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $108.37 and its 200-day moving average is $101.67. The stock has a market cap of $6.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23 and a beta of 1.46.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.99 by $0.44. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The company’s revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.45 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.57%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. SouthState Corp bought a new position in Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 545.5% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 1,010.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 384 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.