NFJ Investment Group LLC Sells 4,488 Shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

NFJ Investment Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,498 shares of the company’s stock after selling 4,488 shares during the quarter. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned approximately 0.18% of Whirlpool worth $10,432,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WHR. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Whirlpool by 14.7% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Whirlpool by 41.5% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 43,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,421,000 after buying an additional 12,697 shares in the last quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 76,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,208,000 after acquiring an additional 7,405 shares during the period. Campbell Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Whirlpool in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,605,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in Whirlpool by 253.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 6,182 shares of the company’s stock worth $740,000 after acquiring an additional 4,431 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Price Performance

Shares of WHR traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $110.63. 67,684 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,142,114. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market cap of $6.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 1.46. Whirlpool Co. has a 52 week low of $84.18 and a 52 week high of $125.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $107.26 and a 200-day moving average of $100.57.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $3.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.99 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 18.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.45 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $1.75 dividend. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Whirlpool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.03%.

Insider Transactions at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total value of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.05% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WHR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.50.

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.