Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Park Place Capital Corp

Park Place Capital Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 78.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 232 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 858 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp’s holdings in Pool were worth $74,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in 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 during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pool by 471.4% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. City Holding Co. bought a new stake in Pool during the first quarter valued at $26,000. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Pool during the first quarter valued at $30,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were 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 directly owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $292.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $300.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $323.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.01 billion, a PE ratio of 27.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.76 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $282.22 and a 52-week high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.77% and a return on equity of 30.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.71%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. One research analyst has 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $342.00.

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.