Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) Plans $1.75 Quarterly Dividend

Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, February 17th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 28th will be given a dividend of 1.75 per share on Saturday, March 15th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.73%.

Whirlpool has increased its dividend by an average of 8.7% per year over the last three years. Whirlpool has a payout ratio of 59.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Whirlpool to earn $11.23 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $7.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 62.3%.

Whirlpool Stock Performance

Shares of Whirlpool stock opened at $103.98 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $116.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.24. Whirlpool has a one year low of $84.18 and a one year high of $135.49.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $4.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.26 by $0.31. Whirlpool had a positive return on equity of 21.89% and a negative net margin of 1.95%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.85 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Whirlpool will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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