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

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the eight analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $368.00.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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 lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th.

Pool Stock Down 2.9 %

POOL opened at $314.92 on Monday. Pool has a one year low of $293.51 and a one year high of $403.61. The company has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $340.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05.

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

Pool Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $152,249,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $474,886,000 after purchasing an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in Pool by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,435,000 after purchasing an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in shares of Pool by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,840,000 after purchasing an additional 129,780 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.