Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Raised to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) was upgraded by analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also commented on WHR. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Whirlpool from $107.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “underperform” rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $86.43.

Whirlpool Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE WHR opened at $85.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.37 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.86. Whirlpool has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $135.49. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $74.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.90.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.41 by $0.68. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.18% and a positive return on equity of 19.49%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Whirlpool will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Whirlpool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WHR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Whirlpool by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,299,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $233,208,000 after acquiring an additional 63,448 shares in the last quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 5.5% in the third quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 2,169,688 shares of the company’s stock worth $170,537,000 after purchasing an additional 112,579 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Whirlpool by 4.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,221,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,189,000 after purchasing an additional 54,584 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Whirlpool in the second quarter valued at about $71,595,000. Finally, Causeway Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Whirlpool by 42.3% during the third quarter. Causeway Capital Management LLC now owns 617,039 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,499,000 after buying an additional 183,496 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

About Whirlpool

Whirlpool Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, with a product portfolio that spans major categories such as laundry, refrigeration, cooking, dishwashing and small electrics. Headquartered in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the company designs, produces and distributes its appliances through a network of wholly owned manufacturing facilities, joint ventures and third-party partners. Whirlpool serves both retail and professional markets, offering products under its flagship Whirlpool brand as well as several well-known names including Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, Brastemp and Consul.

In its laundry segment, Whirlpool provides top- and front-load washing machines, dryers and combination units designed to balance energy efficiency, capacity and convenience.