Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Lowered to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Friday morning.

Several other brokerages have also commented on POOL. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Pool from $356.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Pool from $365.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Pool from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $367.89.

Pool Trading Down 3.0 %

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $366.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.86, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.01. Pool has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $422.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $359.72 and a 200 day moving average of $353.39.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 32.85% and a net margin of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its position in Pool by 2.2% during the third quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,278 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $482,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Pool by 3.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 777 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $293,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association increased its stake in shares of Pool by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 747 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aurora Investment Counsel increased its stake in shares of Pool by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 5,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,542,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.