Bear of the Day: Whirlpool (WHR)

Whirlpool WHR is one of the world's largest manufacturers of home appliances. The company's portfolio of products can be broadly classified into laundry appliances, refrigerators and freezers, cooking appliances, and other small household appliances such as dishwashers and mixers.

The stock is a current Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), with analysts slashing their EPS expectations across the board, even more so following its recent set of quarterly results.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Whirlpool Disappoints Again

WHR’s latest quarterly results didn’t brighten the market’s outlook on the stock, with shares now down more than 50% over the last year. Concerning headline figures, sales of $3.2 billion fell 9.6% YoY alongside a huge decline in earnings.

As we can see below, the company’s top line has been very soft over recent years, seeing little to no growth. Leading the weak performance has been a collapse in discretionary spending across its appliances.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Though replacement demand has remained steady, a soft housing market relative to historical levels has led to a sharp decline in the demand for new appliances, which is where stronger margins are. In other words, if new houses aren’t being bought, neither are sets of new appliances.

Below is a chart illustrating the company’s gross margin on a trailing twelve-month basis, dating back five years. 

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bottom Line

Negative earnings estimate revisions paint a challenging picture for the company’s shares in the near term.

Whirlpool WHR is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), indicating that analysts have taken a bearish stance on the company’s earnings outlook.

For those seeking strong stocks, the best idea would be to focus on stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) – these stocks sport a notably stronger earnings outlook paired with the potential to deliver explosive gains in the near term.

Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"

Our team of experts has just released the 5 stocks with the greatest probability of gaining +100% or more in the coming months. Of those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian highlights the one stock set to climb highest.

This top pick is a little-known satellite-based communications firm. Space is projected to become a trillion dollar industry, and this company's customer base is growing fast. Analysts have forecasted a major revenue breakout in 2025. Of course, all our elite picks aren't winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks' Stocks Set to Double like Hims & Hers Health, which shot up +209%.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

Source Zacks-com