Neuberger Berman Group LLC Lowers Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 597,904 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 18,702 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $203,850,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Pool by 2,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Pool by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $313.56 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $331.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $350.06. The firm has a market cap of $11.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $284.28 and a fifty-two week high of $395.60.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.55%.

Pool 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.