TLDR
- Whirlpool stock fell 8.6% on Monday to $41.08, its lowest close in nearly 17 years
- Q1 loss came in at 56 cents per share, missing analyst expectations of 38 cents profit
- Full-year earnings guidance slashed to $3–$3.50/share, down from $7/share forecast in January
- The company suspended its quarterly dividend of 90 cents per share
- JPMorgan cut its price target on WHR to $52 from $59, maintaining a Neutral rating
Whirlpool stock has been in freefall. After a brutal earnings report last week, the stock closed at $41.08 on Monday — its lowest level since June 2009.
The stock dropped 8.6% on Monday alone. That came after an 11.9% drop on Thursday when results were first released. WHR is now down 43% in 2026 and 83.8% from its all-time high of $252.95 set in May 2021.
Q1 revenue came in at $3.3 billion, below the $3.4 billion analysts expected. Whirlpool posted a loss of 56 cents per share, a sharp reversal from $1.70 earnings per share in Q1 2025 — and well below the 38-cent profit Wall Street had penciled in.
The company also suspended its quarterly dividend, which had been 90 cents per share.
Guidance Gets Gutted
Full-year earnings guidance was cut dramatically. Whirlpool now expects to earn between $3 and $3.50 per share in 2026, down from the $7 per share it forecast back in January.
Free cash flow guidance was also trimmed — from roughly $450 million to $300 million.
Citi analyst Kyle Menges pointed to industry demand falling to recession-level lows. He also flagged an “aggressive promotional environment” that re-accelerated after recent tariff rulings.
The Tariff Problem
The Supreme Court’s February ruling overturned Trump’s broad-based trade tariffs. Those tariffs had previously helped Whirlpool compete against cheaper imported appliances. With them gone, foreign rivals can now price more aggressively.
Around 80% of Whirlpool’s sales come from the U.S., making the domestic pricing environment critical.
Whirlpool responded by announcing double-digit price increases to try to restore profitability. That’s a tough sell in a market already dealing with soft demand.
There is one potential tailwind. A recent change in how the Trump administration applies Section 232 tariffs means washing machines and similar products containing metals are now subject to a flat 25% tariff, rather than the previous complex metal-content calculation.
That change could give Whirlpool a slight edge against importers who had reportedly been gaming the old system.
JPMorgan lowered its price target on WHR to $52 from $59 on Monday. The firm kept its Neutral rating and cut estimates following the Q1 report, citing lower sales growth forecasts and reduced EBIT margin expectations.
WHR traded as low as $40.74 intraday on Monday, briefly dipping below the $41.08 closing level.
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