California Public Employees Retirement System Reduces Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,939 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 3,699 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.17% of Pool worth $22,481,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Pool by 22.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $474,886,000 after buying an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in Pool by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $216,840,000 after purchasing an additional 129,780 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,750,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at $36,203,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $315.05. The stock had a trading volume of 789,938 shares, compared to its average volume of 373,101. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $402.45. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $336.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $352.37. The stock has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a PE ratio of 27.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Equities analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. Pool's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, 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 through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on POOL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $365.33.

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.