Costello Asset Management INC Has $3.40 Million Stock Holdings in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR)

Costello Asset Management INC lowered its stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,729 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,223 shares during the quarter. Whirlpool makes up 2.3% of Costello Asset Management INC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding. Costello Asset Management INC owned about 0.06% of Whirlpool worth $3,395,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WHR. FIFTHDELTA Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the first quarter valued at approximately $50,986,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Whirlpool by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 981,472 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,304,000 after purchasing an additional 312,729 shares in the last quarter. RWWM Inc. acquired a new stake in Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,174,000. Newport Trust Company LLC raised its stake in Whirlpool by 23.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 1,402,941 shares of the company’s stock valued at $143,381,000 after purchasing an additional 269,976 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Whirlpool by 240.9% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 375,613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,125,000 after purchasing an additional 265,418 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.78% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WHR shares. Bank of America lifted their price target on Whirlpool from $101.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Whirlpool from $103.00 to $109.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Whirlpool from $76.00 to $74.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $106.50.

Insider Activity at Whirlpool

In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 41,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,343,233.60. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Whirlpool news, CFO James W. Peters sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.48, for a total transaction of $626,880.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 41,570 shares in the company, valued at $4,343,233.60. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Juan Carlos Puente sold 3,266 shares of Whirlpool stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $326,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,070 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,907,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.05% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WHR opened at $110.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.55. Whirlpool Co. has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $125.68. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $103.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.68. The company has a market capitalization of $6.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.90 and a beta of 1.44.

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

Whirlpool Dividend Announcement

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

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.