1,082 Shares in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Bought by HighPoint Advisor Group LLC

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,082 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $318,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 907.2% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,399 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $12,768,000 after acquiring an additional 33,686 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank lifted its stake in Pool by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 8,076 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,571,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Pool by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,954 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares in the last quarter. MFG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the first quarter valued at approximately $921,000. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC grew its position in Pool by 2.1% in the first quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 117,083 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $37,273,000 after purchasing an additional 2,460 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock traded down $1.44 on Friday, hitting $324.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 755,036 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,168. Pool Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $282.22 and a fifty-two week high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 2.52. The stock's 50 day moving average is $301.28 and its 200-day moving average is $317.82. The company has a market capitalization of $12.22 billion, a PE ratio of 29.97, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 1.10.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $5.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 30.99% and a net margin of 7.79%. The company's revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $4.99 EPS. Equities research analysts expect 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 stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's payout ratio is 46.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on POOL. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Stephens dropped 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $338.71.

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.