47,000 Shares in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Acquired by BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments

BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments bought a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 47,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $15,953,000. BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments owned approximately 0.12% of Pool as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its position in shares of Pool by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,868 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,578 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,993,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:POOL traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $301.32. 206,368 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 445,855. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $11.33 billion, a PE ratio of 26.71, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $315.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $340.44. Pool Co. has a one year low of $284.27 and a one year high of $395.60.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Pool's payout ratio is 46.90%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has approved 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 reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on POOL. Robert W. Baird lowered 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. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens cut their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $336.22.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the 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 sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.