Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Shares Gap Up - Still a Buy?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $87.56, but opened at $90.96. Whirlpool shares last traded at $91.76, with a volume of 559,810 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WHR. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on Whirlpool from $81.00 to $65.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen cut Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Bank of America raised Whirlpool from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $94.00 in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $99.25.

Whirlpool Trading Up 3.0%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44. The company has a fifty day moving average of $80.36 and a 200-day moving average of $98.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a PE ratio of -15.86 and a beta of 1.18.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 EPS 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 positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. Whirlpool's revenue was down 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were given a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is presently 5,000.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,536,118 shares of the company's stock worth $633,775,000 after acquiring an additional 33,326 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,235,977 shares of the company's stock worth $201,529,000 after acquiring an additional 117,964 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Whirlpool by 57.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,808,744 shares of the company's stock worth $207,065,000 after acquiring an additional 659,014 shares during the period. Newport Trust Company LLC increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 11.4% in the first quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,806,101 shares of the company's stock worth $162,784,000 after purchasing an additional 184,132 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 25.5% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,723,612 shares of the company's stock worth $155,343,000 after buying an additional 350,397 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.