True North Advisors LLC Buys New Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

True North Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $216,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of POOL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter worth about $152,249,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 37,863.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 137,808 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $51,926,000 after purchasing an additional 137,445 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $40,750,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its stake in Pool by 44.3% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 217,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $81,981,000 after purchasing an additional 66,791 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Up 0.6 %

POOL opened at $362.06 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $355.72 and its 200-day moving average is $355.03. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $422.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.03.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.50 EPS. Analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 41.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital increased their target price on shares of Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $369.25.

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.