Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

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

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Pool from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Pool from $365.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Loop Capital raised their price objective on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $367.89.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $366.00 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $14.00 billion, a PE ratio of 30.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.01. Pool has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $422.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $359.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $352.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 32.85% and a net margin of 8.58%. The business 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. Pool’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Pool will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Pool’s payout ratio is 40.47%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 68.9% during the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in Pool by 232.4% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 26.2% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 207 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 2nd quarter worth about $74,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Pool during the 2nd quarter valued at about $75,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently 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.