Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Gap Down to $414.62

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $414.62, but opened at $406.00. Pool shares last traded at $407.51, with a volume of 137,449 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on POOL. TheStreet lowered shares of Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $371.00 to $368.00 in a report on Friday, December 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Pool from $407.00 to $436.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and set a $370.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $388.63.

Pool Stock Down 2.3 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 2.36. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $392.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $368.29. The company has a market cap of $15.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.01.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.02. Pool had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.79 earnings per share. Pool’s revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 13.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th will be issued a $1.10 dividend. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 13th. Pool’s payout ratio is 33.03%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total transaction of $441,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,422. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 49,129 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,720,000 after purchasing an additional 4,877 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in Pool during the third quarter valued at $2,301,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 3,745,914 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,403,369,000 after purchasing an additional 93,012 shares in the last quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Pool by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 62,289 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $22,181,000 after acquiring an additional 3,667 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Pool by 2.5% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,247 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,937,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.