UPDATE 2-Pool Corp Q4 loss widens; shares fall

* Q4 results hurt by charges, investment losses

* Rev falls 14 pct

* To rebalance inventories

* Will not provide 2009 EPS outlook

* Shares fall 10 pct (Adds conference call details, analyst comments, updates share movement)

By Mihir Dalal

BANGALORE, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Pool Corp (POOL.O), a distributor of swimming pool products, posted a wider quarterly loss, hurt by lower revenue and investment losses, sending its shares down 10 percent.

The company has been hit by the real-estate crash in places such as Florida, Arizona and California, which are some of the largest pool markets in the country. New pool construction also fell as pool financing has been constrained by the credit crunch.

However, analyst Kathryn Thomson of Avondale Partners said given the economic environment, Pool fared reasonably well, and that the decline in revenue was not due to company-specific reasons.

The company posted a quarterly net loss of $14.8 million, or 31 cents a share, compared with a loss of $11.6 million, or 24 cents a share last year. Revenue fell to $259 million.

In its seasonally slowest period of the year, the company recorded charges of 6 cents a share related to an increased seasonal equity loss from an investment, and 4 cents a share related to its acquisitions in the first quarter, Pool said.

Analysts on average had expected a loss of 26 cents a share, before special items, on revenue of $279.4 million, according to Reuters Estimates.

Going forward, Pool said it would not provide earnings outlook until it gains more visibility in its seasonal business activities and that it plans to control costs and rebalance inventories to improve results in 2009.

"With consumer financing largely unavailable, interested pool players are on hold which will result in another drop in new pool construction in 2009," Chief Executive Manuel Perez de la Mesa said on a conference call with analysts.

Analyst Thomson, who has a "market perform" rating on the stock, said she expects pool stocks to recover only when the housing stocks begin to fare better.

Shares of the Covington, Louisiana-based company were trading down $1.35 at $13.85 Thursday afternoon on Nasdaq.

For alerts, double-click [ID:nWNAB4505] . (Editing by Gopakumar Warrier, Amitha Rajan)