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

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $336.22.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens cut their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $322.45 on Tuesday. Pool has a one year low of $284.28 and a one year high of $395.60. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $310.12 and a 200 day moving average of $337.75. The company has a market capitalization of $12.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.59, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in Pool by 2,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in Pool by 471.4% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in Pool in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.

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