Whirlpool Corp. (WHR Quick QuoteWHR - Free Report) is always on the look out for ways that can make the lives of people easier, while taking care of the environment at the same time. Living up to this image, the company brought forward two new innovations that were launched at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2017), held from Jan 5–8 in Las Vegas. These included the new Whirlpool Smart All-in-One Care Washer and Dryer Combo and the Zera Food Recycler.

These product launches followed the company’s announcement to bring voice-activated home appliances in association with Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN Quick QuoteAMZN - Free Report) . The voice-control feature will be accessible through Whirlpool’s skill on Alexa-enabled devices such as Echo and Echo Dot, which is developed by Amazon.

Coming back to the latest product launches, Whirlpool’s smart washer and dryer combo is one of its kind, featuring a drying time that reduces the effort of transferring loads from washer to dryer. This feature has been introduced keeping in mind the consumer requirements, as people usually leave clothes in the washer and forget that increases the laundry time for households.

Apart from bringing out clothes completely dry, this new combo laundry machine provides a compact unit that can fit easily within the small spaces where a washer and dryer may be difficult to accommodate. Further, it has many other features like automatic dispensing, Amazon Dash replenishment, alert notifications, and download & go cycles.

Further, the company has an innovative offering for the kitchen – the Zera Food Recycler – than can convert the everyday food waste into fertilizer within 24 hours. This product is the first indoor recycler in the U.S., which is designed to conveniently fit in one’s kitchen and convert food waste into homemade fertilizer with a push of a button. In addition to the CES, this product is available for pre-orders on Indiegogo.

Per a study on food waste, the annual food waste of an average American family totals to more than 400 pounds, accounting to about 20% of American landfills. With this innovation, Whirlpool has worked upon reducing the food waste that goes to landfills. This will mean majority of the food waste is used up in the household itself by creating sustainable fertilizer that can be used to nourish their outdoor lawns and gardens.

Most companies believe that innovation is a key avenue for growth, but only a few can properly implement it in their business model. Whirlpool is among the few companies which heavily invest in technologies to produce differentiated products to suit the needs of their end consumers. We believe the aforementioned product launches strategically fit the company’s practice of providing innovative products to consumers, which helps them develop the home ecosystem.

Notably, shares of Whirlpool have surged 38.5% in the past one year, substantially outperforming the Zacks categorized Consumer Discretionary sector’s growth of 14.8%.

Zacks Rank & Other Key Picks

Whirlpool currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Other favorably placed stocks in the Consumer Discretionary sector include Tailored Brands Inc. and Francesca's Holdings Corporation , both sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Tailored Brands, with a long-term earnings growth rate of 17.5%, has surged a whopping 62.9% year over year.

Francesca's Holdings has gained 54.2% in the last six months. Moreover, it has a long-term earnings growth rate of 13.8%.

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