Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Takes Position in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,810 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $436,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WHR. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 79.1% in the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 274 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 216.0% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock traded down $0.17 on Tuesday, reaching $82.03. 865,768 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,045,988. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -14.00 and a beta of 1.20. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $73.72 and a 1-year high of $135.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company's 50-day moving average is $83.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $102.06.

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

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued 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 dividend yield of 8.53%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is 5,000.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WHR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com cut Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Three 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.com, Whirlpool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.00.

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.