Gotham Asset Management LLC Buys 1,966 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 261.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,719 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,966 shares during the quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Pool were worth $927,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $474,886,000 after purchasing an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $213,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 113.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 21,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $7,436,000 after purchasing an additional 11,580 shares during the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $1,457,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Down 0.4%

Pool stock traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $302.29. 363,784 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 399,645. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $284.28 and a 1 year high of $395.60. The firm has a market cap of $11.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $308.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $336.49.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens decreased their price target 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. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $336.22.

Insider Activity

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

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.