Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Downgraded to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Friday.

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

Pool Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Pool stock opened at $347.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. Pool has a twelve month low of $293.51 and a twelve month high of $422.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $343.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $355.48. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Pool will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Pool

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its holdings in Pool by 2,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.