Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $347.22.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on POOL shares. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Pool from $356.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on Pool from $338.00 to $290.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 18th. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $305.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $358.52 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $335.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $364.63. Pool has a 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $422.73. The stock has a market cap of $13.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.05, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.00.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $4.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.90 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.85% and a net margin of 8.58%. The company had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $5.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Pool will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. Pool’s payout ratio is 37.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in Pool by 30,047.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 183,898 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $73,322,000 after purchasing an additional 183,288 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 25.3% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,991 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,193,000 after buying an additional 603 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth $444,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $917,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 6,936 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,765,000 after acquiring an additional 346 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.