Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by London Co. of Virginia

London Co. of Virginia decreased its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 536,418 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,226 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia owned approximately 1.41% of Pool worth $182,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in Pool by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 5,213 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,778,000 after purchasing an additional 519 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 261.1% during the fourth quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 2,719 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $927,000 after buying an additional 1,966 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Pool by 907.2% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 37,399 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $12,768,000 after buying an additional 33,686 shares during the last quarter. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 400,654 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $136,599,000 after acquiring an additional 13,542 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective 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, Stephens decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL traded up $4.51 on Thursday, hitting $313.53. 460,200 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 391,385. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $311.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $339.05. 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 capitalization of $11.79 billion, a PE ratio of 27.80, a P/E/G 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. Pool's revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.90%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Company 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.