Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Grows Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 234,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,352 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.61% of Pool worth $79,802,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,443,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,514,950,000 after purchasing an additional 21,870 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 27.5% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $355,435,000 after acquiring an additional 224,674 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Pool by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 977,862 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $332,566,000 after purchasing an additional 13,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in Pool by 6.2% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 763,817 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $260,416,000 after purchasing an additional 44,884 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on POOL. StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $360.33.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $306.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.55 billion, a PE ratio of 27.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $328.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $347.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors 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 1.57%. Pool's payout ratio is 42.55%.

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.

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