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

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $369.25.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on POOL. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Loop Capital upped their price target on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of Pool stock opened at $359.18 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $355.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $354.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.50 EPS. Pool’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its stake in Pool by 101.2% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $123,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Pool by 24.8% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.