Fisher Asset Management LLC Reduces Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Fisher Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 165,429 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 22,375 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC owned about 0.43% of Pool worth $65,958,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Pool by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 49,129 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $19,720,000 after purchasing an additional 4,877 shares during the last quarter. James Hambro & Partners increased its position in shares of Pool by 21.4% in the 4th quarter. James Hambro & Partners now owns 189,479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $75,573,000 after purchasing an additional 33,402 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 30,047.2% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 183,898 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $73,322,000 after purchasing an additional 183,288 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 394.7% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,556 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,817,000 after purchasing an additional 3,635 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth about $4,329,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Up 1.3 %

Pool stock opened at $364.65 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $390.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $374.28. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.53, a PEG ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.01. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $307.77 and a 52-week high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by ($0.02). Pool had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 35.49%. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Pool’s payout ratio is 34.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total transaction of $441,100.00. Following the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,422. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $436.00 to $416.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. TheStreet lowered shares of Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $380.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $391.80.

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.