106,186 Shares in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 106,186 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $36,203,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.28% of Pool at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its stake in Pool by 2,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Pool by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Pool during the third quarter worth about $60,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on POOL shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $365.33.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of POOL traded down $7.36 during trading on Thursday, reaching $306.20. 47,958 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,102. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $331.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $350.06. 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 twelve month low of $284.28 and a twelve month high of $395.60. The stock has a market cap of $11.55 billion, a PE ratio of 27.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. On average, 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Pool's payout ratio is 42.55%.

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.