Woodline Partners LP Acquires Shares of 948 Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 948 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of Pool stock traded down $1.24 during trading on Friday, hitting $299.55. 749,490 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 403,277. 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $306.88 and a 200-day moving average price of $334.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $284.28 and a 1-year high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Pool's quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens lowered their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two equities research 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. According to MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.22.

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.