Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Has $79.80 Million Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 2.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 234,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,352 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned about 0.61% of Pool worth $79,802,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of POOL. Waterloo Capital L.P. lifted its holdings in Pool by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Pool by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $383,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $197,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Pool by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,578 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $5,993,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 714 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $243,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL traded down $18.73 on Thursday, reaching $290.59. 774,571 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 382,206. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $10.96 billion, a PE ratio of 25.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company's 50 day moving average is $325.69 and its 200-day moving average is $345.71. Pool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $284.28 and a fifty-two week high of $395.60.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.38 by ($0.06). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $359.22.

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.