UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Boosts Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 19.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,767 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 947 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Pool were worth $1,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,443,451 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,514,950,000 after purchasing an additional 21,870 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Pool by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 964,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $362,196,000 after purchasing an additional 6,232 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in Pool by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 419,919 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $143,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new position in Pool in the third quarter valued at about $152,249,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $314.92 on Monday. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $403.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s 50 day moving average is $340.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.55.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $368.00.

Pool Company Profile

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.