Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $59.90 Million Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lessened its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 175,683 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 19,893 shares during the quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned approximately 0.46% of Pool worth $59,897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $60,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 17.5% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 2,618 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $893,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in shares of Pool by 18.1% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 5,028 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,714,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of Pool stock traded up $2.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $310.12. The company's stock had a trading volume of 207,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 390,412. Pool Co. has a one year low of $284.28 and a one year 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. The firm has a market cap of $11.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. The business's fifty day moving average price is $311.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $339.05.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.61%. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback 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 buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Stephens lowered their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. 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. Oppenheimer reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $336.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were 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 owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.