Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Sees Large Volume Increase

Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 550,435 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 70% from the previous session’s volume of 324,146 shares.The stock last traded at $378.29 and had previously closed at $377.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. TheStreet downgraded Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Pool from $407.00 to $436.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $380.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $397.80.

Pool Stock Down 2.0 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $393.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $373.57. The company has a market capitalization of $14.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.33, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced 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 period in the prior year, the company earned $1.79 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 13.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were issued a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.03%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 can be accessed through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. boosted its position in Pool by 250.0% during the fourth quarter. Stuart Chaussee & Associates Inc. now owns 77 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Pool by 73.7% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 99 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its position in Pool by 96.7% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 118 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.