Neuberger Berman Group LLC Cuts Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Neuberger Berman Group LLC lowered its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 597,904 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 18,702 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC owned about 1.57% of Pool worth $203,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $548,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 160,039 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $54,563,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. bought a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter worth approximately $6,651,000. Advisory Services Network LLC grew its position in Pool by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 2,335 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $796,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. Finally, Abacus FCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 68.4% in the 4th quarter. Abacus FCF Advisors LLC now owns 5,338 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,820,000 after acquiring an additional 2,169 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $360.33.

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Pool Stock Performance

POOL traded down $4.40 on Tuesday, hitting $307.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 89,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 376,838. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $284.28 and a 12 month high of $395.60. The firm has a market cap of $11.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.23, 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. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $330.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $348.64.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during 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%. Analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given 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 dividend yield of 1.56%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.55%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related 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 transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.