Ancora Advisors LLC Reduces Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Ancora Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 39.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,300 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,400 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC's holdings in Whirlpool were worth $607,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Anderson Financial Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $54,000. AXA S.A. lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 37,788 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,326,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the period. Maple Rock Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $9,216,000. Whitebox Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter worth $1,528,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,732 shares of the company's stock worth $58,698,000 after purchasing an additional 106,259 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR stock traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $79.90. 1,111,602 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,055,256. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $85.11 and a two-hundred day moving average of $103.09. Whirlpool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $73.72 and a fifty-two week high of $135.49. The firm has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.63 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.67 billion. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. The company's revenue was down 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.78 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Whirlpool's payout ratio is 5,000.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com cut Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $101.00.

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.