Brokerages Set Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Target Price at $336.22

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the nine analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $336.22.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on POOL shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens lowered their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Pool

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cim LLC increased its stake in Pool by 1.3% in the first quarter. Cim LLC now owns 2,993 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $953,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Pool in the first quarter worth $2,547,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Pool by 8.7% in the first quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 54,614 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $17,387,000 after purchasing an additional 4,351 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Pool by 201.2% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $639,000 after purchasing an additional 1,344 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Pool by 164.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Up 0.5%

POOL stock opened at $290.47 on Friday. Pool has a 1-year low of $284.28 and a 1-year high of $395.60. 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 company has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.12. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $303.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $328.43.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

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.