Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by 2Xideas AG

2Xideas AG trimmed its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 58.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,269 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 14,700 shares during the quarter. 2Xideas AG's holdings in Pool were worth $3,501,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 816.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $13,601,000 after buying an additional 36,403 shares in the last quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $653,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in Pool by 46.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 15,576 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,869,000 after acquiring an additional 4,954 shares in the last quarter. World Equity Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $272,000. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. lifted its stake in Pool by 104.0% in the 4th quarter. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 3,778 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,926 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com cut Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 data from MarketBeat, Pool currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $365.33.

Pool Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL traded up $3.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $308.37. 153,245 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 377,811. The company's 50-day moving average is $331.34 and its 200-day moving average is $349.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.06, a PEG 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 announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. Analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.