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

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $368.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Pool Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $343.92 on Thursday. 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 has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $422.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $342.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $355.59.

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

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.