Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Shares Acquired by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 9.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,044 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,708 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC owned about 0.06% of Whirlpool worth $3,554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake 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 during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 79.1% in the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 274 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WHR. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target 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 downgraded Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $77.42 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $89.83 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $104.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.21 and a beta of 1.31. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $75.03 and a 12 month high of $135.49.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by ($0.06). Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.04%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -119.45%.

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.