Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Invests $6.41 Million in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 18,813 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $6,414,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,255,000. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 49.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 20,395 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $6,953,000 after purchasing an additional 6,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $354,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $336.22.

Pool Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of POOL stock traded up $3.33 on Wednesday, hitting $308.68. The stock had a trading volume of 110,838 shares, compared to its average volume of 403,880. The business has a 50 day moving average of $305.45 and a 200 day moving average of $333.24. The stock has a market cap of $11.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.36, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. 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 announced its 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). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm'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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.