Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Shares Sold by Palouse Capital Management Inc.

Palouse Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 15.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,554 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,333 shares during the quarter. Palouse Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $920,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 160.0% in the third quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Whirlpool by 716.7% in the first quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 245 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in Whirlpool by 190.7% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 282 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE WHR traded up $0.56 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $104.67. The company had a trading volume of 1,009,876 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,286,390. The company has a market capitalization of $5.72 billion, a PE ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Whirlpool Co. has a 1-year low of $98.40 and a 1-year high of $160.62. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $109.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $113.67.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $3.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.53 by $0.32. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.98 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 38.67% and a net margin of 2.47%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 13.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 80.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on WHR. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Loop Capital began coverage on Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Whirlpool from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, TheStreet upgraded Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.60.

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.