Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $368.00.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Pool Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $314.92 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Pool has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $403.61. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $340.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $353.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Second Line Capital LLC raised its position in Pool by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,696 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. boosted its holdings in Pool by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Pool by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $197,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. 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.