Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $369.11.

Pool Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of POOL stock opened at $363.06 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.01. Pool has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $422.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $361.17 and a 200-day moving average of $352.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. Pool’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pool will post 11.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 41.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 232.4% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Pool by 26.2% during the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 207 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Pool in the second quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in Pool in the second quarter valued at about $75,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.