Clarius Group LLC Expands Its Holdings; Acquires Stake in Whirlpool
In a recent disclosure made to Securities & Exchange Commission, Clarius Group LLC has revealed its acquisition of a new stake in Whirlpool Co. (NYSE:WHR) during the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year. With the institutional investor securing 1,649 shares of the company´s stock valued at an estimated $233,000 USD at present market value, this development is sure to have created ripples among market watchers.
This latest move from Clarius Group LLC highlights the group’s strategic drive to expand their investment portfolio within high yielding and lucrative industries. However, Whirlpool has not been immune to turbulence in current markets as various research reports cite Whirlpool as having underperformed significantly since late last year.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Whirlpool from $145.00 to $137.00 and issued a “neutral” rating on the stock in mid-December 2016. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Whirlpool from $108.00 to $118.00 but still gave the company an “underperform” rating in early February 2017 after closing Q4 2016 below previously forecasted figures.
StockNews.com further fueled concerns over Whirlpool by downgrading its stock rating from hold to sell in late March 2017 and Credit Suisse Group appeared to diverge from this viewpoint with an upgrade of their target price for Whirlpool shares from $140.00 to $150.00 along with reiterating a “neutral” rating on Thursday, February 2nd based on their analysis.
Recent analysis conducted by Bloomberg.com indicates that four analysts have rated WHR stock with a sell rating while three others have assigned a hold rating thus rendering an overall consensus score of “Reduce”. Furthermore, WHR has experienced cyclical volatility within the market with its 12 month low standing at $124.10 and a 12 month high of $199.07, marking a significant dip from its previous highs.
Shares of WHR stood at $127.45 as of market close on Friday, affirming that Whirlpool remains subject to scrutiny by investors and analysts due to what has been perceived as lackluster performance in previous quarters despite positive expectations going forward.
Despite the volatile nature of the industry that it operates in, Clarius Group LLC seems intent on expanding its holdings and creating greater present value for their investors through acquisitions ahead of expected market improvement within high growth industries.
Whirlpool Experiences Changes in Stockholder Base Amidst Market Fluctuations and Mixed Reviews
Whirlpool, the world’s leading manufacturer of home appliances, has recently experienced changes in its stockholder base. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have taken advantage of recent market fluctuations to buy and sell shares in the company. For instance, Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd lifted its stake in Whirlpool by 3.6% during the second quarter after buying an additional 60 shares.
At the same time, VP Christopher S. Conley sold 1,535 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.20, for a total value of $225,952.00.
Whirlpool has been scrutinized by several research reports with mixed reviews. JPMorgan Chase & Co dropped their target price on Whirlpool from $145.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in December last year.
However, despite unanimous sell ratings from four analysts as well as three hold ratings for Whirlpool’s stocks – data shows that annual earnings per share projections are expected to reach about $16.68 this year.
Moreover, after posting a positive return on equity of 27.98% and beating estimated quarterly earnings by around $0.60 per share earlier this year — there is reasonable optimism amongst most stakeholders.
The dividend payout ratio remains high at present; however dividends were paid out regularly up until March 15th this year – representing an annualized dividend yield of approximately 5.49%.
Overall –it’s clear that consumers and investors remain interested in purchasing concepts for new household products which contribute positively to homes globally; so corporations like Whirlpool are expected to continue undergoing ups-and-downs thanks to external factors such as volatile market trends and increasing customer expectations regarding environmental responsibility & innovation within daily domestic appliances being designed with eco friendly features.
