Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $216.84 Million Stock Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 25.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned about 1.67% of Pool worth $216,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Pool by 2,300.0% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth $31,000. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Pool Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of POOL traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $317.93. The stock had a trading volume of 89,582 shares, compared to its average volume of 367,383. The company has a market cap of $11.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $403.61. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $339.95 and a 200 day moving average of $353.40.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. 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 1.51%. Pool's payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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 initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $365.33.

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.