Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC Takes Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 9,546 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,255,000.

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

Pool Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL traded up $0.28 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $301.92. 391,456 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 448,028. The stock'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. The company has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G 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 data 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 net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Pool's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business 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 $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm's 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 $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. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Stephens cut their target price on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus 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.