3,787 Shares in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Bought by Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC

Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,787 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,291,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth $273,000. Ballentine Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 22.5% during the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 783 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Pool by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,912 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,334,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atomi Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in Pool by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,653 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $563,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird reduced 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. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $336.22.

Pool Stock Down 1.0%

Pool stock traded down $3.16 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $298.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 138,507 shares, compared to its average volume of 400,196. The company has a market capitalization of $11.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $307.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $335.28. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $284.28 and a 12 month high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. Pool's payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

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.