Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Reaches New 52-Week Low at $88.85

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $88.85 and last traded at $89.00, with a volume of 76591 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $89.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WHR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $85.00 to $79.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $63.00 to $75.00 in a report on Friday, May 17th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a "d+" rating to a "c+" rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $140.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $111.00.

Whirlpool Stock Down 0.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock's fifty day moving average is $104.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $109.54.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.42 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.07% and a return on equity of 35.16%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.66 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is 96.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Whirlpool by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,330 shares of the company's stock worth $178,000 after buying an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in Whirlpool by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 2,844 shares of the company's stock worth $380,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its position in Whirlpool by 11.5% in the 3rd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 4,630 shares of the company's stock worth $619,000 after buying an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its position in Whirlpool by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 1,904 shares of the company's stock worth $255,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Whirlpool by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 101,043 shares of the company's stock worth $13,509,000 after buying an additional 6,713 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

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.