Berkshire Hathaway Inc Purchases 194,632 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Berkshire Hathaway Inc raised its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 48.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 598,689 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 194,632 shares during the period. Pool comprises 0.1% of Berkshire Hathaway Inc's holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Berkshire Hathaway Inc owned approximately 1.57% of Pool worth $204,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Pool Stock Up 0.2 %

POOL traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $295.79. The company had a trading volume of 473,101 shares, compared to its average volume of 386,585. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $315.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $340.83. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $284.28 and a 52 week high of $395.60. The company has a market capitalization of $11.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.22, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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

Pool announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens lowered their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has an average 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.