Whirlpool’s Stock Plummets 37% as Fund Bites the Bullet

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California-based Financial Sense Advisors recently took a step back from the brink of Whirlpool ownership, shedding 62,238 shares in Q3-a $7.1 million move that reads like a breakup text message: “It’s not you, it’s me… and also tariffs and negative cash flow.”

What Happened

Per an SEC filing that arrived like a passive-aggressive voicemail from the fund’s portfolio manager, Financial Sense Advisors trimmed its Whirlpool (WHR +0.19%) stake from 96,453 to 34,215 shares. That’s a 0.5% slice of its $586.7 million reportable pie. For context, that’s about the same as the annual budget of a small town-minus the fireworks.

What Else to Know

Post-breakup, the fund’s new love languages include:

  • NYSEMKT:VOO: $36.4 million (6.9% of AUM) – because index funds are so 2024.
  • NYSEMKT:FLOT: $36.1 million (6.8% of AUM) – who needs appliances when you can float?
  • NASDAQ:IBIT: $34.5 million (6.5% of AUM) – Bitcoin ETFs, because nothing says “confidence” like betting on a digital meme.
  • NYSE:PAAS: $27 million (5.1% of AUM) – silver, because panicking is fun.
  • NASDAQ:TSLA: $26 million (4.9% of AUM) – because “Elon’s on Mars, baby!”

Whirlpool’s stock, meanwhile, is playing the role of that ex who won’t stop checking in: down 37% over the past year and 70% from 2021 highs. The S&P 500, by contrast, is sipping champagne while Whirlpool sips lukewarm coffee from a gas station cup.

Company Overview

Metric Value
Revenue (TTM) $15.6 billion
Net Income (TTM) ($182 million)
Dividend Yield 5%
Price (as of Wednesday) $68.99

Company Snapshot

Whirlpool Corporation, a global appliance giant, operates in a market where “innovation” means putting a touchscreen on a microwave. Its brands-Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir-read like a reality TV show: drama, legacy, and a desperate need for a reboot. The company’s distribution network is as sprawling as a Netflix series, but with fewer plot twists and more dishwashers.

Foolish Take

Here’s the value investor TL;DR: Financial Sense’s move isn’t a death knell for Whirlpool-it’s a cautionary tale about patience and execution. The company’s fundamentals are a mixed bag: 1% revenue growth, -$907 million free cash flow, and a dividend yield that makes it a “dividend diva” in a “net loss” dress. Management’s cost-cutting measures ($200 million in structural savings) are the financial equivalent of a strict keto diet-promising, but no guarantee of results.

Whirlpool’s path to recovery feels like a rom-com where the protagonist has to fix the plumbing and win over the town. Tariffs, foreign competition, and fickle demand are the antagonists. But for value investors, the real question is: Can the company turn its “appliance of the year” into a “comeback of the decade”? Spoiler: It’ll need more than a new product line-it’ll need a personality.

As for the stock? It’s currently priced like a clearance rack at Bed Bath & Beyond. But if you’re the type who buys discounted appliances, polishes them up, and sells them on Etsy… well, maybe there’s a niche here. 🚀

Glossary

13F AUM: The SEC’s way of saying, “Hey, we know what you’re cooking in that portfolio.”
Dividend yield: The financial world’s version of “I’ll give you 5% of my heart if you give me yours.”
Trailing twelve months (TTM): Accounting’s way of pretending time is a straight line.
Net loss: When your expenses out-spend your revenue like a reality TV star on a budget.
Reportable portfolio: The part of your fund that’s brave enough to show its face in public.
Stake: Ownership, but with fewer stakes and more spreadsheets.
Top holdings: The VIP section of a fund’s investment party.
Distribution network: The logistical equivalent of a game show’s prize delivery system.

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2025-11-19 19:44