Manchester Global Management UK Ltd Takes Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Manchester Global Management UK Ltd purchased a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 34,300 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $11,694,000. Pool accounts for 1.5% of Manchester Global Management UK Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Manchester Global Management UK Ltd owned about 0.09% of Pool at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Pool by 22.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $474,886,000 after buying an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its position 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 worth $216,840,000 after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $36,203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company's 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now 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 Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $360.33.

Pool Stock Down 3.2 %

NASDAQ POOL opened at $296.56 on Tuesday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $327.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $346.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $11.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth 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.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. 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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