Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Price Target Cut to $315.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) had its target price lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $360.00 to $315.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on POOL. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $360.33.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $311.55 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market cap of $11.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $284.28 and a fifty-two week high of $395.60. The business has a fifty day moving average of $330.23 and a 200-day moving average of $348.64.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $987.48 million for 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Pool will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in Pool by 20.3% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,912 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,476,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Pool by 3.8% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,342 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,390,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 5.6% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 12,927 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,738,000 after purchasing an additional 686 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in Pool by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,510,000 after buying an additional 2,441 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.