Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR – Get Rating) has been given an average rating of "Hold" by the eight research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $198.00.

WHR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $235.00 to $202.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 23rd. TheStreet lowered shares of Whirlpool from a "b" rating to a "c+" rating in a research report on Monday, July 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Whirlpool from $227.00 to $191.00 in a research report on Friday, July 15th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 1,719 shares of the company's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. IFG Advisory LLC raised its stake in Whirlpool by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Whirlpool by 30.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 266 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 3,452 shares of the company's stock valued at $535,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coastline Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Whirlpool by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Coastline Trust Co now owns 7,610 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,178,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 96.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 25th. The company reported $5.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.23 by $0.74. Whirlpool had a net margin of 3.33% and a return on equity of 30.13%. The firm had revenue of $5.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.24 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $6.64 EPS. Whirlpool's quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Whirlpool will post 22.83 EPS for the current year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 15th. Investors of record on Friday, August 26th were given a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 25th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.93%. Whirlpool's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.95%.

About Whirlpool

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Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets home appliances and related products. It operates through four segments: North America; Europe, Middle East and Africa; Latin America; and Asia. The company's principal products include refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, and refrigerator water filters; laundry appliances and related laundry accessories; cooking and other small domestic appliances; and dishwasher appliances and related accessories, as well as mixers.

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