Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Purchased by BNP Paribas Financial Markets

BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 71.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,374 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 30,999 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets’ holdings in Pool were worth $25,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter valued at $60,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in 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. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its position in Pool by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,618 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $893,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the period. Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 18.1% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,028 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,714,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Performance

Pool stock opened at $301.60 on Friday. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $315.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $340.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. The trade was 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $336.22.

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.