9,546 Shares in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Purchased by Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC

Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 9,546 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $3,255,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted 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 Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position 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 worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on POOL. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $336.22.

Pool Stock Up 0.7%

NASDAQ POOL traded up $2.13 on Thursday, reaching $301.09. The company had a trading volume of 191,388 shares, compared to its average volume of 401,210. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company's fifty day moving average is $307.39 and its 200 day moving average is $335.03. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

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 return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The business's revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.66%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.90%.

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.