Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Sold by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC lessened its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 6.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 90,703 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 6,340 shares during the quarter. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $14,682,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Stanley Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the second quarter valued at approximately $13,324,000. Formuepleje A S lifted its holdings in Pool by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Formuepleje A S now owns 157,327 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $33,810,000 after purchasing an additional 11,868 shares during the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP bought a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,448,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Pool by 48.0% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 261,402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,889,000 after purchasing an additional 84,817 shares during the period. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,970,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Up 4.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $221.05 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.93. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $152.70 and a 1 year high of $278.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.46 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $178.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.42.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $3.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.36 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.48 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 33.50% and a net margin of 7.27%. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.39 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 10.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be issued a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Pool in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Stephens lifted their target price on Pool from $200.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. DA Davidson reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $226.00 to $206.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Longbow Research lowered shares of Pool from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, October 19th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $227.70.

About Pool

Pool Corporation, doing business as POOL, is a wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related outdoor living products. It supplies pool builders, service companies, retailers and other professionals with products used to construct, maintain, repair and renovate swimming pools.

Its offerings include pool and spa equipment, chemicals, parts, maintenance supplies and accessories, as well as products for outdoor living and, in some markets, irrigation and landscape applications. Pool Corporation distributes these products through a network of sales centers and distribution facilities.

Founded in 1993, the company serves customers across North America, Europe and Australia.