WBI Investments LLC Trims Stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

WBI Investments LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) by 67.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,146 shares of the company's stock after selling 35,692 shares during the period. WBI Investments LLC's holdings in Whirlpool were worth $1,963,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WHR. Arkadios Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,970,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $231,000. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 56.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 319 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,000. Finally, Advisory Alpha LLC lifted its position in Whirlpool by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC now owns 2,215 shares of the company's stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WHR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wall Street Zen cut 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 Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $101.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

WHR traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $77.28. 785,393 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,040,642. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.19 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company's fifty day moving average price is $82.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $101.36. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $73.72 and a 52-week high of $135.49.

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

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.06%. 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.