Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) Shares Gap Down – Should You Sell?

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $129.78, but opened at $111.00. Whirlpool shares last traded at $108.51, with a volume of 709,756 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WHR has been the topic of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America raised their price target on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Whirlpool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.80.

Whirlpool Price Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average price of $119.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $108.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94. The firm has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.77 and a beta of 1.44.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a return on equity of 21.41% and a net margin of 3.19%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.85 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Whirlpool

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Whirlpool by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 440,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,099,000 after acquiring an additional 6,049 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its position in Whirlpool by 1.9% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,033,263 shares of the company’s stock worth $110,567,000 after acquiring an additional 18,936 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Whirlpool by 14.7% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,019,569 shares of the company’s stock worth $216,094,000 after acquiring an additional 258,871 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in Whirlpool by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,650,386 shares of the company’s stock worth $176,591,000 after purchasing an additional 15,752 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 76,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,208,000 after purchasing an additional 7,405 shares during the period. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.