Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $365.33.

POOL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $152,249,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Pool by 22.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $474,886,000 after buying an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,435,000 after acquiring an additional 224,674 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,840,000 after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $315.05 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $336.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.12. Pool has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $402.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Equities analysts expect that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

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.