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

Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nine brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $336.22.

POOL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday. Stephens lowered their price objective on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th.

Pool Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of Pool stock opened at $293.90 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $321.54 and a 200-day moving average of $343.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $11.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool has a 1-year low of $284.28 and a 1-year high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 45.03%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Pool by 816.8% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,601,000 after buying an additional 36,403 shares during the period. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $653,000. World Equity Group Inc. bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $272,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in Pool by 104.0% in the 4th quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 3,778 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after buying an additional 1,926 shares during the period. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Pool by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 49,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $16,725,000 after buying an additional 10,880 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Company Profile

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.