Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Announces Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.02 EPS

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) released its earnings results on Thursday. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by ($0.02), Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.13 billion. Pool had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.46 earnings per share. Pool updated its FY 2024 guidance to 13.000-14.000 EPS and its FY24 guidance to $13.19-14.19 EPS.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL traded up $1.17 on Friday, hitting $371.17. 437,342 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 332,308. The company has a 50 day moving average of $393.10 and a 200-day moving average of $373.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.29 billion, a PE ratio of 27.94, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 1.00. Pool has a 12-month low of $307.77 and a 12-month high of $422.73.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total transaction of $441,100.00. Following the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,422. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.