Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 2,003 Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL)

Copeland Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 1.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 125,173 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,003 shares during the quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned about 0.33% of Pool worth $39,849,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $116,833,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Pool by 33,549.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 259,774 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $82,699,000 after purchasing an additional 259,002 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Pool by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $355,435,000 after acquiring an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc increased its stake in shares of Pool by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 598,689 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $204,117,000 after acquiring an additional 194,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Pool by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $216,840,000 after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of POOL traded down $1.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $292.77. 2,177,454 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 420,737. The company has a market cap of $11.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.79 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $282.22 and a 52 week high of $395.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $300.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $323.18.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released 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). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 30.11%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.71%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens lowered their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $342.00.

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.