Allianz SE Takes $1.10 Million Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 3,236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,098,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of POOL. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $202,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 4.7% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,262 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $852,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Pool by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,118 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at $379,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on POOL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $365.33.

Pool Trading Up 0.4 %

POOL stock traded up $1.20 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $315.05. 789,938 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 372,601. The business has a 50 day moving average of $336.70 and a 200-day moving average of $352.37. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $402.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Pool's payout ratio is 42.55%.

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.