Citigroup Initiates Coverage on Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR)

Key Points

• Citigroup initiated coverage on Whirlpool with a "neutral" rating and a $60 price target, implying roughly a 5.5% upside from the prior close.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed after several recent downgrades (JPMorgan, Bank of America, Zacks) — MarketBeat shows two Buys, eight Holds and three Sells and a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average price target of $74.33.
• Whirlpool missed quarterly earnings (EPS $1.10 vs. $1.54 expected) and revenue, set FY2026 guidance at 7.00 EPS while analysts forecast 5.43; the stock trades near $56.88 with a PE around 10 and a 52-week range of $50.41–$111.96.

Equities researchers at Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm set a "neutral" rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup's target price suggests a potential upside of 5.48% from the stock's previous close.

WHR has been the topic of several other reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Whirlpool from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $59.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research cut Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 10th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Whirlpool in a report on Monday. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on Whirlpool from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $74.33.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

NYSE:WHR opened at $56.88 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.76. The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.22 billion, a PE ratio of 10.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.30. Whirlpool has a fifty-two week low of $50.41 and a fifty-two week high of $111.96.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The company reported $1.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by ($0.44). The company had revenue of $4.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.27 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 2.04%.The business's revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $4.57 earnings per share. Whirlpool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.000-7.000 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 5.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WHR. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 172.0% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 389 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Garton & Associates Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 129.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 369 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 113.4% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 527 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, with a product portfolio that spans major categories such as laundry, refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing and small electrics. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the company designs, produces and distributes its appliances through a network of wholly owned manufacturing facilities, joint ventures and third-party partners. Whirlpool serves both retail and professional markets, offering products under its flagship Whirlpool brand as well as several well-known names including Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Brastemp and Consul.

In its laundry segment, Whirlpool provides top- and front-load washing machines, dryers and combination units designed to balance energy efficiency, capacity and convenience.

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