Whirlpool quarterly profit surges on price hikes, cost controls

April 22 (Reuters) - Appliances maker Whirlpool Corp reported a more than five-fold jump in quarterly profit on Monday, largely due to price increases and a tight rein on costs.

Net earnings available to Whirlpool rose to $471 million, or $7.31 per share, in the first quarter ended March 31 from $94 million, or $1.30 per share, a year earlier.

Net sales fell to $4.76 billion from $4.91 billion. (Reporting by Sanjana Shivdas, Divya R and Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)