Brokerages Set Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Price Target at $344.50

Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Hold" from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $344.50.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens dropped their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th.

Institutional Trading of Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 471.4% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Pool by 790.9% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 98 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ:POOL traded down $4.98 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $306.32. 435,877 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 426,172. Pool has a 1-year low of $282.22 and a 1-year high of $395.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $301.52 and its 200-day moving average is $319.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a return on equity of 30.11% and a net margin of 7.77%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Pool will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.63%. Pool's payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Pool announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.