3,696 Shares in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Acquired by Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC

Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 3,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $333,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 79.1% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 274 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 113.6% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 282 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 120.7% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 320 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 40.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 448 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WHR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $107.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $81.00 to $65.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $105.75.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR stock traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $87.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,057,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,032,342. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $73.72 and a 12 month high of $135.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.95 and a beta of 1.18. The firm's fifty day moving average is $80.01 and its 200 day moving average is $98.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. The company's revenue was down 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.99%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.