Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC Sells 1,318 Shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL)

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC cut its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 130,630 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,318 shares during the quarter. Pool comprises 4.0% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 3rd biggest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned about 0.35% of Pool worth $41,586,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 12.7% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,954 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 559 shares during the period. CNB Bank boosted its position in Pool by 23.6% during the 1st quarter. CNB Bank now owns 969 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $308,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the period. MFG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool in the 1st quarter valued at $921,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in Pool by 13.9% in the first quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 4,255 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,355,000 after purchasing an additional 518 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in Pool by 4.1% in the first quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 31,428 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $9,981,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Down 0.5%

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

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

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.71%. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird decreased 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. Finally, 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 report on Monday, April 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average 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.