Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Thornburg Investment Management Inc.

Thornburg Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,579 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 197 shares during the quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $12,471,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in Pool by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $320.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $284.28 and a 1 year high of $395.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $310.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $338.20.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Pool’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.90%.

Pool announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on POOL. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Stephens lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have 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 $336.22.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This 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 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.