Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Bought by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in Pool Corporation by 19.3%, owning approximately $21.93 million worth by the end of the 1st quarter.
• Pool Corporation plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share on August 28th, representing an annualized yield of 1.6%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Pool, with a consensus target price of $342.14, while several firms have recently adjusted their ratings and price targets.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 19.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,890 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 11,123 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. owned about 0.18% of Pool worth $21,931,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $303,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its stake 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 valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Trading Up 0.3%

NASDAQ POOL traded up $0.97 on Monday, reaching $306.65. The stock had a trading volume of 365,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 554,206. Pool Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.22 and a 12-month high of $395.60. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $302.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $314.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.29, a P/E/G ratio of 4.22 and a beta of 1.07.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $5.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.99 earnings per share. Pool's revenue for the quarter was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on POOL. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Pool from $322.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Stephens lowered their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.