1,735 Shares in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Bought by Crestline Management LP

Crestline Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,735 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $592,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased 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 purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Pool by 76.9% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL traded up $1.55 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $309.32. The company had a trading volume of 176,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 390,292. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a market cap of $11.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.44, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $284.28 and a 12-month high of $395.60. The company has a fifty day moving average of $311.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $339.05.

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 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 business had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on POOL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently 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.