Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) - What Are Researchers Thinking About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analysts are broadly cautious: Whirlpool has an average “Reduce” recommendation from 13 firms—five sell and eight hold ratings—with an average 12-month price target of $32.22. Several analysts recently cut their targets, including Wells Fargo, which lowered its target to $24.
• Quarterly results fell short of expectations: Whirlpool reported a loss of $0.21 per share versus analysts’ expected profit of $0.73, while revenue of $3.68 billion missed estimates and declined 8.8% year over year.
• The stock opened at $30.12 and was trading near its 52-week low of $25.50, well below its 52-week high of $94.82. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s shares.

Shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and eight have assigned a hold recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $32.22.

Several research analysts have recently commented on WHR shares. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $38.00 to $31.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 11th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Whirlpool from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $30.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $141,801,000. RWWM Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 191.6% in the 1st quarter. RWWM Inc. now owns 2,422,618 shares of the company's stock worth $130,628,000 after purchasing an additional 1,591,849 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $61,003,000. Nykredit A S bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth approximately $51,953,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the second quarter worth approximately $24,601,000. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $30.12 on Thursday. Whirlpool has a fifty-two week low of $25.50 and a fifty-two week high of $94.82. The stock's 50-day moving average is $31.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $46.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.88 and a beta of 1.21.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 26th. The company reported ($0.21) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.94). The firm had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.93 billion. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 0.93% and a positive return on equity of 0.47%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.09 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Whirlpool will post -1.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corporation is a home-appliance manufacturer headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Its products include refrigerators and freezers, ranges and ovens, dishwashers, washing machines and dryers, as well as related parts and accessories. The company sells products under brands including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, JennAir and Amana. Its offerings serve residential customers, with products distributed across multiple international markets. Founded in 1911 as the Upton Machine Company, Whirlpool adopted its current name in 1949.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.