Aviva PLC Cuts Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Aviva PLC decreased its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 23.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 123,692 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 38,302 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC owned 0.32% of Pool worth $42,172,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of POOL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,443,451 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,514,950,000 after purchasing an additional 21,870 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in Pool by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $474,886,000 after purchasing an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Pool by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $355,435,000 after buying an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Pool by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 977,862 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $332,566,000 after buying an additional 13,519 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $216,840,000 after buying an additional 129,780 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business'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 value of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock traded up $0.55 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $305.85. 106,230 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,620. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $331.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $349.59. The company has a market cap of $11.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $284.28 and a 12-month high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for 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%. As a group, 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.57%. Pool's payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. 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 objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.