Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Lowered to "Sell" Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning.

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $368.00.

Pool Stock Down 1.3 %

POOL traded down $4.42 during trading on Friday, hitting $342.58. The company had a trading volume of 198,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 391,274. The company has a market cap of $13.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool has a 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $422.73. The business has a 50-day moving average of $342.99 and a 200-day moving average of $355.63.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cim LLC grew its position in Pool by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,955 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,007,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $88,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,414,000. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth $83,000. Finally, Forum Financial Management LP bought a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. 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.