Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Sets New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on the stock from $125.00 to $138.00. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Whirlpool traded as high as $127.32 and last traded at $126.27, with a volume of 528620 shares. The stock had previously closed at $120.67.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Bank of America increased their price objective on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,343,233.60. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 323.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 545.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Whirlpool Stock Up 4.9 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $106.10. The company has a market capitalization of $6.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.48 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current year.

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.