Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

WHR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Bank of America raised shares of Whirlpool from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the company from $68.00 to $94.00 in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $99.25.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR traded up $2.70 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $90.26. The stock had a trading volume of 2,581,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,038,497. The firm has a market cap of $5.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.40 and a beta of 1.18. Whirlpool has a 12 month low of $73.72 and a 12 month high of $135.49. The business has a fifty day moving average of $80.36 and a 200 day moving average of $98.34. 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 issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $3.62 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.67 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. Whirlpool's revenue for the quarter was down 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.76%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is currently 5,000.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at $267,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 2,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 2,406 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its stake in Whirlpool by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 15,300 shares of the company's stock worth $1,752,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 113.6% in the 4th quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 282 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Company 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.