Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Shares Purchased by Bank of New York Mellon Corp

Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 54.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 636,937 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 223,232 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 1.16% of Whirlpool worth $72,917,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Whirlpool by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock valued at $216,094,000 after acquiring an additional 258,871 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC increased 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 valued at $11,999,000 after purchasing an additional 97,152 shares during the period. Easterly Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 95.6% during the 3rd quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 151,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,174,000 after purchasing an additional 73,865 shares during the period. Ibex Wealth Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool during the 4th quarter valued at $7,275,000. Finally, Financial Sense Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 122.9% during the 4th quarter. Financial Sense Advisors Inc. now owns 98,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,290,000 after purchasing an additional 54,368 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports 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 target on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.00.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

WHR opened at $98.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a PE ratio of -16.80 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $113.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.97. Whirlpool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $84.18 and a fifty-two week high of $135.49.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarter last year, the firm posted $3.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.11%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -119.45%.

Whirlpool 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.