Capital World Investors Sells 91,318 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Capital World Investors reduced its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 28.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 226,382 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 91,318 shares during the period. Capital World Investors owned 0.59% of Pool worth $77,183,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth about $60,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Pool by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,510,000 after purchasing an additional 2,441 shares in the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the third quarter worth approximately $217,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $765,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 44.3% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 217,572 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $81,981,000 after purchasing an additional 66,791 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on POOL. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $348.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL traded up $2.89 on Friday, reaching $291.59. 824,164 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 382,486. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $323.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $344.42. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60. The stock has a market cap of $11.00 billion, a PE ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

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.