KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Purchases New Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 12,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,262,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter worth about $202,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Pool by 4.7% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $852,000 after acquiring an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $244,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 14.0% during the third quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 30,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $11,603,000 after purchasing an additional 3,788 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $326.93 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. Pool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $415.05. The company has a market cap of $12.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.98, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $342.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $354.12.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.47%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

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.