Analysts Set Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Price Target at $112.80

Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the five brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $112.80.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America upped their price target on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th.

Whirlpool Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:WHR opened at $132.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Whirlpool has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $134.54. The company has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.10 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $117.19 and a 200-day moving average of $107.46.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during 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 revenue for the quarter was down 18.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $5.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 12.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 323.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the second quarter worth $32,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 56.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 545.5% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 355 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.