LPL Financial LLC Sells 4,577 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

LPL Financial LLC cut its holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR – Get Rating) by 16.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 23,030 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,577 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $3,258,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 526.3% in the first quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 238 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,000. Finally, Dupont Capital Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 36.0% in the third quarter. Dupont Capital Management Corp now owns 468 shares of the company’s stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 92.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Trading Up 3.1 %

Shares of WHR opened at $133.65 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $132.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.01. The stock has a market cap of $7.32 billion, a PE ratio of -3.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.49. Whirlpool Co. has a 12 month low of $124.10 and a 12 month high of $186.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 0.63.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The company reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.52. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 10.34% and a positive return on equity of 28.28%. The business had revenue of $4.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.31 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 16.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 19th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 18th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is -19.10%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WHR shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Whirlpool from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $170.00 to $160.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. 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 note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on Whirlpool from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $136.80.

About Whirlpool

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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.