Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Acquired by Toronto Dominion Bank

Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 49.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 20,395 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 6,744 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank owned approximately 0.05% of Pool worth $6,953,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Pool by 27.5% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $355,435,000 after acquiring an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc grew its stake in shares of Pool by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 598,689 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $204,117,000 after acquiring an additional 194,632 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of Pool by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,840,000 after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens lowered their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.22.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL stock traded up $1.59 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $303.88. The stock had a trading volume of 126,359 shares, compared to its average volume of 399,215. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $284.28 and a 52 week high of $395.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $308.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $335.52. 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 firm has a market cap of $11.42 billion, a PE ratio of 26.94, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted 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). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.65%. Pool's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

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.