Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Gap Up on Strong Earnings

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $340.87, but opened at $357.89. Pool shares last traded at $338.09, with a volume of 121,687 shares traded.

The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. Loop Capital raised their price objective on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $368.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Up 0.3 %

The company has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $344.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $355.74.

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.