Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Man Group plc

Man Group plc lessened its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 71.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,504 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 57,470 shares during the quarter. Man Group plc owned approximately 0.06% of Pool worth $8,013,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Pool by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen cut Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. 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 assumed coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two research analysts have 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, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $336.22.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of Pool stock traded down $1.18 on Friday, hitting $302.29. The stock had a trading volume of 363,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,273. The company's 50 day moving average price is $308.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $336.01. The stock has a market cap of $11.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

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

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.