Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Upgraded at Longbow Research

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Longbow Research from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a $145.00 target price on the stock. Longbow Research's price target would indicate a potential upside of 50.79% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on WHR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price 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 raised Whirlpool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Whirlpool from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $94.00 in a research note on Friday, June 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $108.40.

Whirlpool Price Performance

WHR opened at $96.16 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $82.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.58. Whirlpool has a 12-month low of $73.72 and a 12-month high of $135.49. The firm has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 686.88 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.03. Whirlpool had a net margin of 0.04% and a return on equity of 21.38%. The company had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.67 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.78 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 54.0% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $72,917,000 after acquiring an additional 223,232 shares during the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 1,188.2% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,805 shares of the company's stock valued at $550,000 after purchasing an additional 4,432 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,118,013 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,470,000 after purchasing an additional 98,444 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,719,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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