ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Purchases New Stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL)

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 923 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $294,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its position in Pool by 7.8% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 468 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $149,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $303,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,696 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 5.2% in the first quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC now owns 773 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Pool by 20.3% in the first quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 225 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Trading Up 2.0%

Shares of Pool stock traded up $6.20 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $312.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 319,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 542,791. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.22 and a 52-week high of $395.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $302.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $314.89. The company has a market cap of $11.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.86, a PEG ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.07.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $5.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.05. Pool had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The business had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.99 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Pool from $322.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $342.14.

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.