Stock market today: S&P 500 ekes out closing record high despite wobble in chips
BofA Securities upgraded Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR) from Underperform to Neutral on Friday, raising its price target to $94.00 from $68.00. The upgrade reflects a stronger outlook for the appliance manufacturer’s North American operations. According to InvestingPro data, Whirlpool’s stock has declined nearly 26% over the past six months, while currently trading at a P/E ratio of 671x. The company’s market capitalization stands at approximately $4.9 billion.
The research firm cited the recent addition of appliances to section 232 steel tariffs as a "meaningful tailwind" for Whirlpool’s North America segment due to the company’s domestic manufacturing footprint. This policy change could help Whirlpool address market share and margin pressure it has faced from imported competition in recent years. InvestingPro data reveals the company’s gross profit margin stands at 16.18%, highlighting the ongoing pressure on profitability.
BofA Securities raised its 2025 and 2026 earnings per share estimates for Whirlpool by 3% and 10% respectively, reflecting improved margin expectations for the North American major domestic appliance segment. The new price target is based on 7.3x the firm’s 2026 EV/EBITDA estimate, up from the previous 6.5x multiple.
The firm acknowledged ongoing concerns about Whirlpool’s ability to generate sufficient free cash flow to reduce leverage and fund its $400 million annual dividend. These long-term risks remain a factor in BofA’s analysis of the company.
A recent debt refinancing and the expected sale of Whirlpool’s India business in the second half of 2025 should help the company address its debt maturity coming due in November 2026, according to BofA Securities.
In other recent news, Whirlpool Corporation has finalized a $1.2 billion bond issuance through senior notes, collaborating with financial institutions like Mizuho (NYSE:MFG) Securities and Citigroup (NYSE:C). This move follows the company’s credit rating downgrade to junk status by Fitch Ratings, which cited high leverage and a negative outlook. Moody’s has also downgraded Whirlpool’s senior unsecured ratings to Ba1, maintaining a negative outlook due to ongoing operating challenges and weak consumer demand. Despite these challenges, Loop Capital Markets has maintained a Buy rating on Whirlpool, although it lowered the price target to $115, reflecting cautious optimism about future demand for appliance replacements. Whirlpool plans to use the bond sale proceeds to repay part of its outstanding debt, aiming to manage financial obligations and invest in strategic goals. The company’s deleveraging strategy includes selling a partial ownership stake in Whirlpool of India (NSE:WHIR), with Fitch projecting a longer timeline for achieving investment-grade credit metrics. The company’s liquidity remains supported by a $3.5 billion revolver, though reliance on this for upcoming maturities is anticipated. Whirlpool’s recent financial results showed a slight sales shortfall in North America, attributed to increased Asian imports, but analysts believe demand could stay robust at current levels.
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