Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Purchased by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 21.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 7,892 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 1,377 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Pool were worth $2,512,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position 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. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 471.4% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

POOL stock traded up $7.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $315.66. The stock had a trading volume of 135,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 427,884. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $301.23 and its 200 day simple moving average is $320.73. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 1.10. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.22 and a 52-week high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 30.11%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on POOL shares. Oppenheimer cut their price target on shares of 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 shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $344.50.

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.