Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Position Cut by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 34,744 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 796 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Pool were worth $11,841,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 20.3% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,912 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in Pool by 28.3% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,694 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,768,000 after purchasing an additional 1,034 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in Pool by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 3,176 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,197,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in shares of Pool by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 15,576 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,869,000 after purchasing an additional 4,954 shares during the period. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 6,342 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,390,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Down 2.6 %

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $305.30 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $331.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $349.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The stock has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $284.28 and a fifty-two week high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.04 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share 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 issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is 42.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on POOL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.33.

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.