Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Position Cut by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC reduced its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 17.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,366 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 953 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Pool were worth $1,489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Second Line Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Pool by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,696 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,283,000 after buying an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. grew its stake in Pool by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $216,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,868 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,319,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Stephens decreased their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price 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, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $336.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Pool Stock Up 0.4%

POOL traded up $1.17 during trading on Monday, hitting $298.25. The company had a trading volume of 891,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 412,022. The company has a market cap of $11.21 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $284.28 and a 1-year high of $395.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $304.72 and a 200-day moving average of $331.83.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to purchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.