Brokerages Set Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Price Target at $368.00

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $368.00.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $364.12 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $13.70 billion, a PE ratio of 32.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $343.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $355.74. Pool has a 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $420.98.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. As a group, analysts forecast that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in POOL. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in Pool by 10.5% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 9,029 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,166,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Pool by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 3,242 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,222,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter worth about $248,000. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc raised its holdings in Pool by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Marks Group Wealth Management Inc now owns 6,086 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,293,000 after buying an additional 458 shares during the period. Finally, Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter worth about $228,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.