Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $357.49, but opened at $377.00. Pool shares last traded at $368.61, with a volume of 78,369 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the topic of several analyst reports. Oppenheimer raised their target price on shares of Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Loop Capital upped their target price on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $369.11.

Pool Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average of $363.76 and a 200-day moving average of $352.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.39.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.50 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 41.31%.

Institutional Trading of Pool

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 0.8% in the second quarter. Taylor Frigon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,544 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,089,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. Heritage Family Offices LLP raised its holdings in Pool by 2.2% in the third quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,278 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its position in shares of Pool by 3.7% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 777 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $293,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association lifted its holdings in Pool by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 747 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $301,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aurora Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in Pool by 0.6% in the second quarter. Aurora Investment Counsel now owns 5,018 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,542,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.