KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys New Shares in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,300 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,294,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Truffle Hound Capital LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $4,579,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Whirlpool by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 10,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,164,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 6,593 shares of the company’s stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 13.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 98,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,220,000 after purchasing an additional 11,824 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 9,178 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,051,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Down 3.7 %

Shares of WHR opened at $89.58 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.29 and a beta of 1.44. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $135.49. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $103.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $108.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th were given a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.81%. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is -119.45%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on WHR. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.00.

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.