Fayez Sarofim & Co Lowers Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Fayez Sarofim & Co cut its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 43.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,096 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 850 shares during the period. Fayez Sarofim & Co’s holdings in Pool were worth $374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Pool by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Pool during the third quarter worth $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $296.56 on Tuesday. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60. The business’s fifty day moving average is $327.06 and its 200 day moving average is $346.24. 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 $11.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.29, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.62%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $360.33.

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.