Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Hits New 12-Month Low - Here's What Happened

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $282.30 and last traded at $282.68, with a volume of 357672 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $290.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $336.22.

Pool Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $303.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $328.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.12.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $1.25 dividend. This is a boost 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 yield of 1.77%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has initiated a share 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 buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 471.4% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. City Holding Co. bought a new position in shares of Pool in the first quarter worth $26,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth $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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