Quest Partners LLC Makes New $294,000 Investment in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 2,418 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $294,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Whirlpool by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 101,043 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,509,000 after acquiring an additional 6,713 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Whirlpool in the third quarter worth about $39,000. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Whirlpool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Whirlpool by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 22,861 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,057,000 after buying an additional 688 shares during the period. Finally, HM Payson & Co. raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 18.0% during the 3rd quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 5,063 shares of the company’s stock worth $677,000 after buying an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $86.52 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $103.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $109.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.92 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.56. Whirlpool Co. has a 52-week low of $85.82 and a 52-week high of $160.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The company reported $1.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.17. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 35.16% and a net margin of 2.07%. The firm had revenue of $4.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.66 EPS. Whirlpool’s revenue was down 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.09%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on WHR shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $63.00 to $75.00 in a report on Friday, May 17th. StockNews.com lowered Whirlpool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 2nd. Loop Capital began coverage on Whirlpool in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $140.00 target price for the company. Finally, TheStreet raised Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Monday, January 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $111.00.

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.