Whitebox Advisors LLC Invests $1.53 Million in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Whitebox Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 13,350 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,528,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WHR. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 26.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 512,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,698,000 after purchasing an additional 106,259 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC increased its stake in Whirlpool by 83.3% during the 4th quarter. Boothbay Fund Management LLC now owns 59,046 shares of the company's stock worth $6,760,000 after buying an additional 26,831 shares during the period. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new position in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth $10,457,000. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 4,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the fourth quarter worth about $374,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company's stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock traded up $2.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $77.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,233,213 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,054,628. 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 Co. has a one year low of $73.72 and a one year high of $135.49. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $87.05 and its 200 day simple moving average is $103.85. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -13.28 and a beta of 1.31.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.03. The company 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%. The business's revenue was down 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.99%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5,000.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WHR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Whirlpool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $109.00 to $89.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.00.

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.