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

Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $344.50.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on POOL. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Stephens lowered their price objective on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Pool Price Performance

POOL stock traded up $2.84 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $311.30. 536,880 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 428,780. The company has a market capitalization of $11.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.20, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.10. 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 company has a 50-day moving average of $301.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $320.48. Pool has a twelve month low of $282.22 and a twelve month high of $395.60.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Atticus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter worth $136,000. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. increased its position in shares of Pool by 36.5% during the second quarter. Financiere des Professionnels Fonds d investissement inc. now owns 15,080 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $4,396,000 after acquiring an additional 4,036 shares in the last quarter. New England Research & Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter worth about $306,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Pool by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,333 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,554,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its stake in Pool by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 9,189 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,678,000 after purchasing an additional 449 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

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.