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 report report published on Saturday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $369.25.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $334.43 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $12.73 billion, a PE ratio of 28.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 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. Pool has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $422.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $358.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $352.87.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Pool will post 11.02 EPS for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.44%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 41.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,102,921 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $646,291,000 after purchasing an additional 33,955 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after buying an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 964,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $362,196,000 after buying an additional 6,232 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in shares of Pool by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 854,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $262,678,000 after buying an additional 11,059 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Pool by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 565,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $213,020,000 after acquiring an additional 3,428 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently 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.