Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) shares gapped up prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $357.49, but opened at $377.00. Pool shares last traded at $368.61, with a volume of 78,369 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.11.

Pool Trading Up 0.5 %

The stock has a market cap of $13.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $364.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.37.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. Pool’s revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 41.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 68.9% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Pool by 232.4% in 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 position in shares of Pool by 26.2% during the 2nd 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 last quarter. Finally, Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $74,000. Institutional investors 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.