River & Mercantile Asset Management LLP Acquires 1,840 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

River & Mercantile Asset Management LLP lifted its holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR – Get Rating) by 87.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,940 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,840 shares during the quarter. River & Mercantile Asset Management LLP’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 96.2% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 204 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. TD Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Whirlpool during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Cambridge Trust Co. raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 119.6% during the 2nd quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 224 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 526.3% during the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 92.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In related news, VP Christopher S. Conley sold 1,535 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.20, for a total value of $225,952.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 2,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $350,924.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.33% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR opened at $129.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.94, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $145.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $144.48. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $124.43 and a 52-week high of $199.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.06 billion, a PE ratio of -4.62 and a beta of 1.50.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 31st. The company reported $3.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.29 by $0.60. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 27.98% and a negative net margin of 7.71%. The business had revenue of $4.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.14 EPS. Whirlpool’s quarterly revenue was down 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 16.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 3rd were given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 2nd. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.41%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is presently -24.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on WHR. StockNews.com cut Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on Whirlpool from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Thursday, November 17th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Whirlpool from $108.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Whirlpool from $145.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $144.00.

Whirlpool Company Profile

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Whirlpool Corp. engages in the manufacturing and marketing of home appliances. Its products include home laundry appliances, refrigerators and freezers, cooking appliances, home dishwashers, and room air-conditioning equipment, mixers, and portable household appliances. The firm’s brands include Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, and Indesit.