Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $54.97 Million Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Baird Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 161,236 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 21,955 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.42% of Pool worth $54,972,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on POOL shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $336.22.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $306.69 on Monday. The company's fifty day moving average is $318.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $341.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.63%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company'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. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

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.

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