Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Downgraded to “Sell” Rating by StockNews.com

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

POOL has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price 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, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $369.25.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $337.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market capitalization of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $362.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $352.64. Pool has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $422.73.

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. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. Analysts predict that Pool will post 11.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.42%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.31%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Pool by 101.2% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 24.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $151,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $160,000. 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.