Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 9,195 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 7.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 133,893 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 9,195 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned 0.35% of Pool worth $42,625,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in shares of Pool by 7.8% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 468 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in Pool by 0.5% in the 4th 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. Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Trading Up 0.5%

POOL opened at $290.47 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $303.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $328.43. The firm has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.12. Pool Co. has a twelve month low of $284.28 and a twelve month high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 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 business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.72%. Pool's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded 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 assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.22.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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