Whirpool Reports A Mixed Q4, Shares Tick Higher

Shares of Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE: WHR) were trading higher by 0.70 percent early Friday morning after the company reported its fourth quarter results.Whirlpool said that it earned $4.10 per share in its fourth quarter on revenue of $5.56 billion. Wall Street analysts were expecting the company to earn $3.91 per share on revenue of $5.74 billion.GAAP net earnings for the quarter rose to $180 million from $81 million in the same quarter a year ago as the company benefited from acquisition synergies, cost and capacity-reduction initiatives, ongoing cost productivity as well as an improved mix of sales."Our strong operational execution delivered another year of record revenue and earnings per share along with strong free cash flow," said Jeff M. Fettig, Chairman and chief executive officer of Whirlpool Corporation. "These record results demonstrate that our strategy and larger global operating platform continue to create substantial levels of shareholder value even in a year of unprecedented volatility in global markets."For the full fiscal year, Whirlpool earned $12.38 per share on revenue of $20.891 billion, marking an increase from the $11.39 per share it earned in 2014 on revenue of $19.872 billion.Looking forward to fiscal year 2016, Whirlpool guided its earnings per share to a range of $14.00 to $14.75 versus the $14.42 Wall Street analysts were already estimating.