Readystate Asset Management LP Acquires Shares of 5,315 Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 5,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $647,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Whirlpool by 0.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,536,414 shares of the company’s stock valued at $873,919,000 after purchasing an additional 25,740 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 30.1% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,001,651 shares of the company’s stock valued at $792,338,000 after buying an additional 1,389,657 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 4,729,936 shares of the company’s stock valued at $575,964,000 after buying an additional 26,630 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 2.4% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,140,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $467,213,000 after buying an additional 72,732 shares during the period. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Whirlpool by 59.7% during the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,473,047 shares of the company’s stock valued at $328,804,000 after buying an additional 924,128 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR stock traded up $0.26 during trading on Thursday, hitting $104.11. The company had a trading volume of 916,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,290,076. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.53. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $110.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $113.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.02 and a beta of 1.48. Whirlpool Co. has a 52 week low of $98.40 and a 52 week high of $160.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The company reported $3.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.53 by $0.32. Whirlpool had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 38.67%. The business had revenue of $5.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.98 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.89 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 13.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $1.75 per share. This represents a $7.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Whirlpool’s payout ratio is currently 80.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WHR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $120.00 to $111.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Whirlpool from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. TheStreet upgraded shares of Whirlpool from a “d+” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Whirlpool in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $140.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $114.60.

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.