LHM Inc. Boosts Stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

LHM Inc. increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 13.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 42,600 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,185 shares during the period. Whirlpool makes up approximately 1.6% of LHM Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. LHM Inc.’s holdings in Whirlpool were worth $4,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WHR. State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 6,397 shares of the company’s stock worth $684,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in Whirlpool by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 19,488 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,085,000 after buying an additional 2,805 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 21.7% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $534,000 after buying an additional 891 shares during the period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its position in Whirlpool by 8.3% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 39,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,268,000 after buying an additional 3,056 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Whirlpool stock opened at $91.62 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.64 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $112.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $108.80. Whirlpool Co. has a 12-month low of $84.18 and a 12-month high of $135.49. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.95% and a positive return on equity of 21.89%. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $3.85 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Whirlpool Co. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, February 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.75 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.64%. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently -119.45%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on WHR shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $106.00.

About Whirlpool

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.