Whirlpool upgraded to Neutral at BofA on possible steel tariff tailwinds

As previously reported, BofA upgraded Whirlpool (WHR) to Neutral from Underperform with a price target of $94, up from $68, after raising the firm’s 2025 and 2026 EPS by 3% and 10%, respectively, to reflect a stronger North America margin outlook. Whirlpool’s North America major domestic appliance segment has faced significant market share and margin pressure in recent years from imported competition, but the firm believes the recent addition of appliances to the section 232 steel tariffs could be “a meaningful tailwind” to Whirlpool’s North America segment given the company’s domestic manufacturing footprint, the analyst tells investors.