MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Lowers Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH reduced its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 91.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 255 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 2,768 shares during the period. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH's holdings in Pool were worth $81,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Pool by 2,300.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pool by 471.4% during 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 in the last quarter. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Pool during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL opened at $288.90 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $10.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.61, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.12. The company's 50 day moving average is $303.53 and its 200 day moving average is $329.03. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $284.28 and a 12-month high of $395.60.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The business 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 business posted $1.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.73%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,045,105. The trade was 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 available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on POOL shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price target 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. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of 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 started coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target for the company. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $336.22.

About Pool

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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