Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Bought by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 20.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in Pool were worth $550,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waterloo Capital L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,868 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,319,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 17,578 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,993,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 714 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $243,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Up 2.3%

POOL stock opened at $320.82 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $310.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $338.03. The company has a market cap of $12.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.44, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $284.28 and a 12-month high of $395.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Pool’s revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. 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 payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens cut their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $336.22.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Pool 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.