California State Teachers Retirement System Sells 2,050 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

California State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 65,979 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,050 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.18% of Pool worth $22,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in Pool by 2,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Price Performance

POOL traded up $5.24 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $305.24. 200,387 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 403,053. The company has a market cap of $11.48 billion, a PE ratio of 27.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $284.28 and a 1 year high of $395.60. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $305.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $333.43. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.64%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's payout ratio is 46.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stephens dropped their price objective 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 downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $336.22.

About Pool

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.