Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $350.00.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Pool from $305.00 to $377.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $305.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Pool from $356.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on Pool from $425.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $358.49 on Thursday. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $422.73. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $345.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $360.16. The firm has a market cap of $13.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.48 and a quick ratio of 0.88.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $4.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.90 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.85% and a net margin of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.89 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Pool will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.56%.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 68.9% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool by 232.4% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 26.2% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 207 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC bought a new position in Pool in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the 2nd quarter worth $75,000. 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.