Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Stock Price Down 5.9% – Time to Sell?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)’s stock price dropped 5.9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $91.60 and last traded at $92.64. Approximately 1,101,836 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 1% from the average daily volume of 1,093,493 shares. The stock had previously closed at $98.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WHR. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $5.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.49 and a beta of 1.43. 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 50-day moving average price of $113.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.97.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.71%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -119.45%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 79.1% in the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 274 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 323.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 275 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.