The world's largest appliance maker also lifted its 2010 earnings forecast above Wall Street's expectations on its quarterly performance.
Whirlpool, which sells Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air and its namesake brand, earned $164 million, or $2.13 per share, for the three months ended March 31. It earned $68 million, or 91 cents per share, a year ago.
The results were significantly higher than the $1.33 per share that analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected. These estimates normally remove one-time items.
Revenue rose 20 percent to $4.27 billion from $3.57 billion, topping estimates of $3.79 billion.
"We are pleased with the strong operational performance we reported in all of our regions," Chairman and CEO Jeff M. Fettig said in a statement.
People pulled back on purchases of big-ticket items like washers and dryers at the height of the recession — which hurt Whirlpool's profit. But that spending has been increasing again as economic conditions get better.
In North America, sales grew 7 percent to $2.3 billion as unit shipments of major appliances climbed 6 percent. European revenue increased 6 percent to $739 million, with unit demand essentially flat.
Latin American sales jumped 65 percent to $1.1 billion mostly on higher sales volumes, increased productivity and the impact of a weaker dollar. In Asia, revenue surged 60 percent to $192 million.
Whirlpool now anticipates a 2010 profit between $8 and $8.50 per share. Its prior guidance was for earnings in a range of $6.50 to $7 per share. Analysts expect a profit of $7.08 per share for the year.
"While economic uncertainty remains, Whirlpool Corp. is well positioned to substantially grow earnings from prior-year levels," Fettig said.
