Advisory Alpha LLC Acquires 102 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Advisory Alpha LLC raised its holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,215 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $254,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Whirlpool by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at $231,000. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at $1,970,000. Finally, Brave Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at $200,000. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WHR shares. StockNews.com raised Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America upped their price target 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. upped their price target on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $112.80.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR opened at $132.79 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $117.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $107.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.10 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. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $84.18 and a 52-week high of $134.54.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.45 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool 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.