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

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a note issued to investors on Friday.

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $368.00.

Pool Stock Up 1.3 %

POOL stock opened at $347.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $342.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.50. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $422.73.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Pool by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,443,451 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,514,950,000 after buying an additional 21,870 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew 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 acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 27.5% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $355,435,000 after purchasing an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Pool by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 977,862 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $332,566,000 after purchasing an additional 13,519 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Pool by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 763,817 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $260,416,000 after purchasing an additional 44,884 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is 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.