News · Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) · Consumer Cyclical

Whirlpool falls 5.9% after weak quarterly results

Session of October 26, 2026 · Published October 27, 2026 · 4 min read

What happened

Whirlpool (WHR) fell 5.9% to close at $26.45 on October 26, 2026, after it reported a GAAP net loss and missed revenue and earnings expectations, citing higher raw material and fuel costs. Trading volume ran 2.9 times its 20-day average as investors reacted to results released after the close. The company said it has executed price increases, will implement further fourth-quarter price increases in its major appliances business in North America and Latin America, and is pursuing structural cost actions, according to Zacks Investment Research and PRNewsWire.

Closing price over the last 30 trading sessions. On October 26, 2026, WHR closed at $26.45, down 5.9% on the day and 19.9% lower than 30 sessions earlier.

How big was the move

The session’s decline was 1.7 times a typical daily move for the stock and was 5.9 percentage points worse than the Consumer Cyclical sector median, which was unchanged on the day. By comparison the S&P 500 rose 0.7% on October 26, 2026. The stock’s five-session change was unchanged. A beta of 1.10 indicates the stock tends to move more than the market, and the surge in volume underscored investor focus on company-specific news.

Each bar is one day's price change; the outlined bar is October 26, 2026. A typical daily move over the past year was 3.2%, so the latest move equals 1.9 times that. Moves outside the dashed lines (about 6.4%) are unusual.

The technical picture

The stock traded well below its trend lines: 8.1% below its 20-day moving average, 21.2% below its 50-day moving average and 46.8% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is below the 200-day average, a sign of a weak longer-term trend. The Relative Strength Index over 14 days stood at 35, in a neutral range between 30 and 70. Whirlpool was 72.1% below its 52-week high and had fallen 16.6% over one month, 31.3% over three months and 64.4% over one year, leaving it 78.3 percentage points behind the S&P 500 for the year. Volatility was 55% annualized over 60 days, a level higher than 95% of its own readings over five years.

Closing price over the past year. WHR ends the period 71.5% below its 52-week high, below its 50-day average ($33.56) and below its 200-day average ($49.68).

These technicals paint a picture of sustained weakness. The large gap to the 52-week high and the cross of the 50-day below the 200-day suggest investors have steadily pared exposure. High recent volatility means moves can be sharp in either direction around company news or earnings updates.

Fundamentals and valuation

For the four quarters through September 30, 2026, Whirlpool reported revenue of $14.56 billion, a decline of 6.4% from a year earlier. Gross margin narrowed to 9.8% from 15.7% a year earlier, while operating margin eased to 2.5% from 5.3%. Free-cash-flow margin was 0.6% and return on invested capital was 2.9%. The balance sheet showed net debt of 9.6 times EBITDA, a level that points to material leverage.

Quarterly revenue by period end. The latest quarter brought $3.7B, 8.8% less than the same quarter a year earlier.

On valuation, the stock traded at 19.2 times expected forward earnings with a free-cash-flow yield of 4.4%. Those metrics reflect a company whose profitability has weakened while investors price future earnings modestly above current levels. The heavy leverage on the balance sheet could constrain capital flexibility as management seeks to restore margins.

Earnings and analyst expectations

On October 26, 2026, Whirlpool reported GAAP net earnings (loss) margin of (6.8)% and GAAP diluted loss per share of $(3.80); ongoing (non-GAAP) EBIT margin was 2.6%. The company said ongoing (non-GAAP) diluted earnings per share was not fully disclosed in the release. Reported earnings per share of $-0.21 compared with $0.73 expected, 128.7% below estimates.

Diluted earnings per share by quarter. The latest quarter shows $1.15, against $1.16 in the same quarter a year earlier.

The stock has recorded zero consecutive quarters beating estimates and the average surprise over the last four reports was 100.0% below estimates. Typical two-day reactions after recent reports saw the stock fall 0.9%, underscoring a pattern of negative market responses to recent misses.

Analysts have a consensus price target of $37.00, 39.9% above the closing price, based on 22 analysts. Five percent of analysts rate the stock Buy or Strong Buy and the consensus rating is Hold. Those numbers point to modest upside from current levels, but also signal skepticism about the company’s near-term recovery given weak growth and quality scores.

What to watch

Next report: January 27, 2027.
Last report (Oct. 26, 2026): GAAP diluted loss per share $(3.80); GAAP net earnings (loss) margin (6.8)% reported by Zacks Investment Research and PRNewsWire.
Consensus price target: $37.00, 39.9% above the closing price; 22 analysts covering the stock.
Balance sheet metric: net debt of 9.6 times EBITDA.
Similar sessions in the past five years: 19 sessions with a decline of at least 5.9%; twenty trading days later the median result was a decline of 6.1%, and 5 of 19 were higher.

Full WHR analysis: scores, chart and financials →