Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Increases Stock Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 111.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,741 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,975 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in Pool were worth $1,275,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in Pool by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool in the third quarter worth about $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued 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 given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $360.33.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock traded down $9.32 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $296.93. The company had a trading volume of 75,046 shares, compared to its average volume of 378,617. The firm has a market cap of $11.20 billion, a PE ratio of 26.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $327.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $346.71. Pool Co. has a one year low of $284.28 and a one year high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.