Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Millennium Management LLC

Millennium Management LLC decreased its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 20.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,321 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC's holdings in Pool were worth $1,754,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Pool by 2,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings 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 period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on POOL shares. Stephens reduced their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $336.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Down 0.4%

NASDAQ POOL traded down $1.14 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $308.28. 341,635 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 405,160. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.33, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a 50 day moving average of $305.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $333.07. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool's payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program 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 programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.