AQR Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Whirlpool Corporation $WHR

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC significantly reduced its stake in Whirlpool Corporation by 60.9%, owning 93,671 shares after selling 145,846 during the first quarter.
• Analysts have mixed sentiments on Whirlpool, with Bank of America setting a lower price target of $70.00, while Longbow Research raised its rating to "buy" with a target of $145.00.
• Whirlpool announced a quarterly dividend of $0.90, which represents a 3.8% yield, though the company's dividend payout ratio is negative at -135.85%.

AQR Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 60.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 93,671 shares of the company's stock after selling 145,846 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned 0.17% of Whirlpool worth $8,262,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WHR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 5.6% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,235,977 shares of the company's stock valued at $201,529,000 after purchasing an additional 117,964 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC raised its position in Whirlpool by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,806,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $162,784,000 after purchasing an additional 184,132 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in Whirlpool by 25.5% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,612 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,343,000 after purchasing an additional 350,397 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,208,741 shares of the company's stock worth $138,377,000 after buying an additional 199,663 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1.3% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,047,645 shares of the company's stock worth $94,424,000 after buying an additional 13,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $100.00) on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Longbow Research raised shares of Whirlpool from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $145.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $65.00 to $63.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Loop Capital reissued a "hold" rating and set a $88.00 price objective on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Monday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $98.83.

Whirlpool Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:WHR opened at $95.06 on Friday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $93.47 and its 200-day simple moving average is $89.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.85. Whirlpool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $73.72 and a fifty-two week high of $135.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -35.87 and a beta of 1.16.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by ($0.20). The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.88 billion. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 0.95% and a positive return on equity of 20.81%. The company's revenue was down 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. Whirlpool has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-8.000 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Corporation will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 29th will be given a $0.90 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $3.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -135.85%.

Whirlpool Profile

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.

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