Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 63,203 Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 63,203 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,696,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.12% of Whirlpool at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 3,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $429,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 3,554.4% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,382,430 shares of the company's stock valued at $168,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,344,601 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 190.7% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 282 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 15,325 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,866,000 after acquiring an additional 386 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Whirlpool by 81.8% in the fourth quarter. Total Clarity Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $877,000 after acquiring an additional 3,242 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

NYSE WHR traded up $0.71 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $115.34. 683,563 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,708,174. The company has a market cap of $6.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.24 and a beta of 1.48. Whirlpool Co. has a 12-month low of $98.40 and a 12-month high of $160.62. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $110.28 and a 200 day moving average of $115.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $3.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.53 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $5.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.98 billion. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 13.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.07%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on WHR. TheStreet upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a "d+" rating to a "c+" rating in a research note on Monday, January 29th. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a "buy" rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $122.17.

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.