StockNews.com Downgrades Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) to Sell

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report released on Friday.

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

Pool Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ POOL opened at $337.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $362.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $352.64. Pool has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool will post 11.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Pool by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,102,921 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $646,291,000 after acquiring an additional 33,955 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 22.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 0.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 964,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $362,196,000 after purchasing an additional 6,232 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in Pool by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 854,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $262,678,000 after purchasing an additional 11,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in Pool by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 565,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $213,020,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is 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.