Verity Asset Management Inc. Buys Shares of 2,413 Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Verity Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 2,413 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $276,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted 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 valued at $216,094,000 after purchasing an additional 258,871 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,650,386 shares of the company’s stock valued at $176,591,000 after purchasing an additional 15,752 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 1,033,263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,567,000 after purchasing an additional 18,936 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Whirlpool by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 903,166 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,664,000 after purchasing an additional 11,766 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its stake 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. 90.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Whirlpool Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of WHR opened at $100.52 on Wednesday. Whirlpool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $84.18 and a fifty-two week high of $135.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $118.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $108.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 earnings per share 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 in the prior year, the company posted $3.85 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Whirlpool Co. will post 12.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Whirlpool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $125.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Whirlpool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $112.80.

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.