SN vs WHR: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?
Last updated August 2026
Short answer
SN and WHR are similarly sized, but WHR trades noticeably cheaper on forward earnings (9.48x vs 23.59x): the market is paying up for SN's profile and pricing WHR more conservatively, or for faster growth. Which you prefer comes down to the drivers you believe, and whether adding either over-concentrates what you already own.
SN vs WHR: the tie-breaker metrics
Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.
| Metric | SN | WHR | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward P/E | 23.59 | 9.48 | Valuation on next year's expected earnings, the same yardstick for both. Lower is cheaper for that growth; higher means the market is paying up. |
| Trailing P/E | 36.89 | 12.71 | Valuation on the last 12 months. A big drop from trailing to forward means the market expects earnings to jump, so more growth is already in the price. |
| Beta | 1.17 | 1.13 | Volatility vs the market. Above 1 swings harder than the index; below 1 is steadier. Higher beta means bigger drawdowns to hold through. |
| Price vs 52-week range | 90% of range | 3% of range | Where today's price sits between the 52-week low and high. Near the high is momentum with less margin of safety; near the low is out of favor or a discount, depending on why. |
| Price / book | 8.96 | 0.64 | How much you pay over book value. Very high can signal an asset-light, high-return business or a rich price. |
Reading it: WHR is the cheaper of the two on forward earnings, but cheaper is not the same as better. Pair the valuation with growth (how far the forward P/E sits below the trailing P/E) and risk (beta) before you decide.
Before you buy: how SN and WHR affect your concentration
The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. SN and WHR share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.
This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined SN and WHR exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.
What does SharkNinja (SN) do?
SharkNinja designs, markets and distributes small household appliances under two brands: Shark, historically the floorcare and beauty name, and Ninja, the kitchen and outdoor cooking name. Reporting runs through four product categories. In fiscal 2025 Cleaning Appliances contributed ~$2.21 billion (34.5% of sales), Cooking and Beverage Appliances ~$1.82 billion (28.4%), Food Preparation Appliances ~$1.55 billion (24.2%) and Beauty and Home Environment Appliances ~$826 million (12.9%). Geographically the split was ~$4.31 billion domestic (the US and Canada, 67.3%) against ~$2.09 billion international (32.7%). The company competed in 39 product sub-categories as of June 30, 2026 and entered its 40th in July, having pushed into outdoor ovens, carbonation, drinkware, carpet extraction, fans, coolers, skincare, propane grills and fire pits inside three years. Manufacturing is entirely outsourced to third-party suppliers, historically concentrated in China and increasingly spread across Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. Distribution leans hard on a few accounts: Amazon, Costco and Walmart each cleared 10% of fiscal 2025 net sales and together made up 45.7%, with the largest single customer at 23.8%. Headcount was ~4,143 at the end of 2025, up from ~2,619 four years earlier.
What does Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) do?
Whirlpool Corporation is one of the largest home-appliance manufacturers in the world, designing and selling refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and small kitchen appliances under brands including Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, and Roper. After divesting a majority of its European business and other non-core assets, the company is now concentrated in North America (its largest and most profitable region) plus Latin America and Asia, with a smaller global small-appliance segment. Its results are tightly linked to the housing market, consumer confidence, big-ticket discretionary spending, and input and tariff costs.
SN vs WHR: how do they differ?
Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.
- SN drivers: New sub-category entry as the growth mechanism; International expansion is outgrowing the home market.
- WHR drivers: Pricing and cost-takeout to rebuild margins; Deleveraging over dividends.
Which fits which kind of investor
A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: Concentration cuts three ways at SharkNinja and each is quantified in the filings. For WHR, whirlpool faces cyclical demand risk tied to a soft housing market and low consumer confidence, which drove a Q1 2026 loss and reduced guidance.
SN or WHR: which should you pick?
SN vs WHR: the full fundamentals
SN. Two multiples tell different stories here. On trailing GAAP earnings the stock looks expensive at ~37 times, but the gap between GAAP and adjusted results is unusually wide in 2026 because share-based compensation stepped up sharply, and the adjusted forward multiple of ~28 times is a good deal less demanding for a business guiding to 16% to 17% top-line growth. What the price does assume is that the tariff drag stays contained and that the new-category cadence keeps replacing maturing lines such as Cleaning.
WHR. Q1 2026 revenue fell about 9.6% year over year to roughly $3.27 billion and the company swung to a loss, prompting a guidance cut and a dividend suspension. Full-year 2026 guidance points to ~$15 billion in net sales with ongoing EPS of about $3.00 to $3.50, well below the prior ~$6 outlook. With the stock near multi-year lows and a market cap around $5 billion, valuation reflects heavy cyclical and balance-sheet uncertainty rather than a stable earnings base.
Headline figures (approximate, August 2026): SN shows revenue (ttm) ~$6.91 billion for the twelve months to June 30, 2026, up ~17.5%, against ~$6.40 billion in fiscal 2025 (+15.7%), ~$5.53 billion in 2024 (+30.0%) and ~$4.25 billion in 2023. First-half 2026 net sales were ~$3.18 billion, up 19.1%, with second-quarter sales of ~$1.77 billion up 22.2% (21.6% in constant currency). Reporting is in US dollars; ~31.4% of fiscal 2025 net sales were denominated in other currencies., earnings and margins Trailing net income was ~$695.2 million and trailing GAAP EPS ~$4.90. Fiscal 2025 delivered net income of ~$701.4 million, diluted EPS of $4.94 and adjusted EPS of $5.28. In the second quarter of 2026 GAAP net income fell 7.0% to ~$129.8 million ($0.92 diluted, versus $0.98) while adjusted net income rose 29.3% to ~$178.2 million ($1.26 adjusted per share). Gross margin was 48.7%, down 30 basis points, with adjusted gross margin down 70 basis points on tariffs, currency and retailer activations., category and geographic mix Second-quarter 2026 net sales by category: Cleaning Appliances ~$522.0 million (+4.1%), Cooking and Beverage Appliances ~$499.0 million (+36.5%, led by the Ninja Luxe Cafe espresso machine and Ninja Crispi), Food Preparation Appliances ~$458.6 million (+13.3% on blending) and Beauty and Home Environment Appliances ~$285.8 million (+65.3% on skincare and fans). Domestic sales were ~$1,141.9 million (+15.5%) and international ~$623.6 million (+36.6%). The company competed in 39 sub-categories at June 30, 2026 and entered a 40th in July., cash flow and balance sheet First-half 2026 operating cash flow was ~$275.5 million, against a ~$63.9 million outflow in the same period of 2025. Cash and equivalents stood at ~$779.8 million at June 30, 2026 with ~$718.9 million drawn under the 2023 term loan (SOFR plus 1.75%, maturing July 2028) and nothing outstanding on the $500 million revolver, leaving ~$489.8 million of undrawn capacity. Inventory was ~$1,143.6 million, up 14.1% from year-end. Capital expenditure guidance for 2026 is $190 million to $210 million.; WHR shows revenue (ttm) ~$15.5B, 2026 net sales guidance ~$15B, 2026 ongoing eps guidance ~$3.00 to $3.50, 2026 ongoing ebit margin target ~4%.
The bottom line: SN vs WHR
SN and WHR are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined SN and WHR exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.
Wondering how SN or WHR fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in SharkNinja with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how SN fits what you actually hold: whether you own it already through a fund, what it would do to your concentration, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What is the difference between SN and WHR?
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SharkNinja designs, markets and distributes small household appliances under two brands: Shark, historically the floorcare and beauty name, and Ninja, the kitchen and outdoor cooking name. Whirlpool Corporation is one of the largest home-appliance manufacturers in the world, designing and selling refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges, and small kitchen appliances under brands including Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana, and Roper. They show up together because they share investment themes, but they are different businesses, so the better fit depends on which thesis you are expressing.
Is SN or WHR the better stock?
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Neither is universally better; they suit different views and risk levels. Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Compare what each does, the tie-breaker metrics above, and the risks, then decide which fits your thesis and what you already own.
Which is cheaper, SN or WHR?
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On forward P/E (as of August 2026), SN trades at 23.59x and WHR at 9.48x, so WHR is the cheaper of the two on next year's expected earnings. A lower multiple is not automatically the better buy: a richer valuation can be justified by faster growth, and a lower one can reflect real risk. Weigh the multiple against how fast each business is compounding.
Should you own both SN and WHR?
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Because they share themes, owning both concentrates you in that theme. That can be intentional (a focused bet) or accidental (less diversification than it looks). Walnut can show your combined exposure across both, and whether adding either over-concentrates you, before you buy.
What are the risks of SN vs WHR?
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SN: Concentration cuts three ways at SharkNinja and each is quantified in the filings. Customer concentration is the sharpest: the largest retail account took 23.8% of fiscal 2025 net sales and the top three together took 45.7%, so a single planogram decision at Amazon, Costco or Walmart can move a quarter. Supplier concentration is next. The company manufactures nothing itself, and its 10-K still describes its assembly suppliers as primarily based in China even after management moved the large majority of US-bound volume to Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. That relocation reduces tariff exposure without eliminating it, and it introduces new country risk in jurisdictions with thinner supplier bases. Ownership concentration is the third: CJ Xuning Wang held 54,787,426 ordinary shares, or 38.6%, as of March 16, 2026, and retains a contractual right to appoint the board chairperson for as long as he and his affiliates hold at least 30%. Minority holders sit alongside that block with no separate voting protection. Tariff policy remains genuinely unsettled. The administration has signalled new Section 301 investigations following the Supreme Court ruling, the expired Section 122 surcharge faces pending legal challenge, and guidance assumes current rates hold for the balance of 2026. Earnings quality also deserves attention: GAAP net income fell 7.0% to ~$129.8 million in the second quarter of 2026 while adjusted net income rose 29.3%, a gap driven largely by share-based compensation of ~$47.2 million against ~$10.9 million a year earlier. Product safety is a recurring cost centre. The May 2025 voluntary recall of the Ninja Foodi OP300 pressure cooker ran ~$11.2 million in 2025 expenses and has drawn consumer class actions, including a nationwide purchaser class filed as 5:25-cv-03993. Inventory of ~$1.14 billion at June 30, 2026 was up 14.1% from year-end, ahead of first-half sales growth. WHR: Whirlpool faces cyclical demand risk tied to a soft housing market and low consumer confidence, which drove a Q1 2026 loss and reduced guidance. Tariffs and input costs pressure margins, and aggressive price increases could further dampen already-weak volumes. The balance sheet carries meaningful debt, and the dividend suspension (breaking a decades-long streak) signals financial strain. Intense competition from lower-cost and well-capitalized rivals such as LG, Samsung, Electrolux, GE Appliances (owned by Haier), and Midea can compress pricing and share. As of JULY 2026 the stock trades near multi-year lows, reflecting how much of this uncertainty the market is pricing in.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. This page is descriptive and not a recommendation to buy or sell SN or WHR; figures are approximate and dated (as of August 2026). Verify current data before investing.