AQR Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 25.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 239,517 shares of the company's stock after selling 80,389 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.43% of Whirlpool worth $27,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,732 shares of the company's stock worth $58,698,000 after acquiring an additional 106,259 shares in the last quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 83.3% in the fourth quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 59,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,760,000 after purchasing an additional 26,831 shares during the last quarter. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $10,457,000. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 4,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth about $374,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WHR shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given 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.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $79.56. The stock had a trading volume of 278,896 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,051,082. Whirlpool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $73.72 and a fifty-two week high of $135.49. 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 company's 50-day simple moving average is $85.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $103.09. The firm has a market cap of $4.42 billion, a PE ratio of -13.58 and a beta of 1.20.

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

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.80%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is presently 5,000.00%.

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.