Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 33,326 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,536,118 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 33,326 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.04% of Whirlpool worth $633,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter worth about $34,719,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 54.0% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 636,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,917,000 after buying an additional 223,232 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,118,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,470,000 after buying an additional 98,444 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 648.2% during the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 112,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,999,000 after buying an additional 97,152 shares during the period. Finally, Ibex Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the 4th quarter valued at $7,275,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of WHR stock opened at $89.58 on Monday. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $135.49. The company has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.29 and a beta of 1.44. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $103.65 and a 200-day moving average of $108.15. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $3.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.00.

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.