Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $350.68, but opened at $380.00. Pool shares last traded at $377.36, with a volume of 148,457 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on POOL. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Pool from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Pool from $365.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $357.89.

Pool Stock Up 6.5 %

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $358.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $353.44. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.01.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $4.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.90 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.85% and a net margin of 8.58%. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $5.89 earnings per share. Pool’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 15th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Pool by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP increased its position in Pool by 2.2% during the third quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,278 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $482,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in Pool by 3.7% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 777 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $293,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its position in shares of Pool by 4.2% in the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 747 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aurora Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 5,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,542,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is 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.