Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $369.25.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com raised shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 24.8% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its position in Pool by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Pool stock traded up $4.89 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $344.57. 291,390 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 417,254. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $422.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.11 billion, a PE ratio of 29.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.03. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $357.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $353.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.39.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.40 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%. The business's revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. Pool's payout ratio is currently 41.31%.

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.