Robert W. Baird Cuts Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Price Target to $310.00

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) had its price target cut by Robert W. Baird from $325.00 to $310.00 in a research note published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $348.33.

Pool Trading Up 1.0 %

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $291.59 on Friday. Pool has a 12 month low of $284.28 and a 12 month high of $395.60. The business’s 50-day moving average is $323.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $344.42. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Research analysts predict that Pool will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.03%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool 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 directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at $116,833,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Pool by 33,549.5% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 259,774 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $82,699,000 after purchasing an additional 259,002 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd 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. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $355,435,000 after buying an additional 224,674 shares during the period. Finally, Berkshire Hathaway Inc increased its position in shares of Pool by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 598,689 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $204,117,000 after acquiring an additional 194,632 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.