Financial Counselors Inc. Raises Holdings in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL)

Financial Counselors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 21.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm 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 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 786 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 972 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool by 79.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 53,081 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $18,098,000 after acquiring an additional 23,476 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $12,438,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $412,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $302.64 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 1.79. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $282.22 and a one year high of $395.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $300.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $320.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.39, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Pool had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 30.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Pool's payout ratio is 46.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens reduced their target price 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, 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 report on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $344.50.

Pool Company 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.

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