Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Friday morning.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Loop Capital raised their price target on shares of Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.25.

Pool Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of POOL stock opened at $337.27 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $362.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $352.64. Pool has a 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $422.73. The company has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The company’s revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Pool will post 11.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 41.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Pool by 12.4% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 8,171 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,511,000 after buying an additional 901 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of Pool by 0.5% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 79,442 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $24,415,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC raised its stake in Pool by 21.4% in the 2nd quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 743 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 77.5% in the 2nd quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 1,136 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Pool by 23.2% during the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 10,622 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,268,000 after purchasing an additional 1,997 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Pool

Pool Corporation distributes swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related leisure products in the United States and internationally. The company offers maintenance products, including chemicals, supplies, and pool accessories; repair and replacement parts for pool equipment, such as cleaners, filters, heaters, pumps, and lights; and building materials, such as concrete, plumbing and electrical components, functional and decorative pool surfaces, decking materials, tiles, hardscapes, and natural stones for pool installations and remodeling.