Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Legal & General Group Plc

Legal & General Group Plc cut its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 18.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 205,625 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 46,377 shares during the quarter. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.54% of Pool worth $70,106,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased 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 valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Pool by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool during the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were 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 represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $360.33.

Pool Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of POOL traded up $6.40 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $307.75. 166,120 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,382. The company has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a PE ratio of 27.15, 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. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $284.28 and a 1-year high of $395.60. The business has a 50 day moving average of $329.00 and a 200 day moving average of $348.03.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current 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 issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is presently 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.