Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Raises Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. raised its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,541 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $5,000,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Pool by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 49,129 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,720,000 after buying an additional 4,877 shares during the last quarter. James Hambro & Partners boosted its stake in Pool by 21.4% in the fourth quarter. James Hambro & Partners now owns 189,479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $75,573,000 after acquiring an additional 33,402 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 30,047.2% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 183,898 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $73,322,000 after purchasing an additional 183,288 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 394.7% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,556 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,817,000 after purchasing an additional 3,635 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,329,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the topic of a number of research reports. TheStreet downgraded Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $436.00 to $416.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Loop Capital downgraded shares of Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $380.00 to $415.00 in a research report on Monday, January 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $391.80.

Pool Stock Performance

Pool stock traded up $4.54 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $364.65. 430,034 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 402,506. The stock has a market cap of $13.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $390.55 and its 200 day moving average is $374.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 1.88. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $307.77 and a 52-week high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by ($0.02). Pool had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 35.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.46 EPS. Pool’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total value of $441,100.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,622 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,457,422. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.