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

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) shares gapped down before the market opened 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $371.00 to $368.00 in a research report on Friday, December 8th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Loop Capital cut Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $380.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. TheStreet downgraded shares of Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Pool from $407.00 to $436.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $388.63.

Pool Trading Down 2.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $15.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.29, a PEG ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day moving average of $392.73 and a 200 day moving average of $368.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 2.36.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.02. Pool had a return on equity of 37.94% and a net margin of 9.44%. The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.79 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 13.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total transaction of $441,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,422. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Pool

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,424,510 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,870,904,000 after purchasing an additional 12,654 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Pool by 2.5% in the second 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 during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,845,204 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $657,077,000 after purchasing an additional 63,413 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Pool by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,510,384 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $565,850,000 after acquiring an additional 54,292 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. boosted its holdings in Pool by 10.3% in the fourth quarter. Select Equity Group L.P. now owns 1,502,159 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $454,148,000 after acquiring an additional 139,946 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.