Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Sets New 12-Month Low – Time to Sell?

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $285.91 and last traded at $290.96, with a volume of 620520 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $303.08.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $365.33.

Pool Trading Down 4.0 %

The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $335.56 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $351.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. On average, research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in Pool by 790.9% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 98 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.