Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Lowered to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note issued to investors on Sunday morning.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on POOL. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.25.

Pool Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $359.18 on Friday. Pool has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $422.73. The firm has a market cap of $13.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.91, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.39. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $355.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $354.58.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pool will post 11.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 41.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 101.2% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank boosted its position in shares of Pool by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 24.8% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.