Bridges Investment Management Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. decreased its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 68,802 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 845 shares during the period. Bridges Investment Management Inc. owned 0.18% of Pool worth $23,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new position in Pool during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $152,249,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,750,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 44.3% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 217,572 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $81,981,000 after acquiring an additional 66,791 shares during the period. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 62.6% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 172,538 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $58,825,000 after purchasing an additional 66,409 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of POOL traded up $2.63 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $343.92. The stock had a trading volume of 333,719 shares, compared to its average volume of 394,477. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $342.71 and its 200 day simple moving average is $355.59. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $422.73. 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 cap of $13.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Equities research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com cut shares of 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 $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $368.00.

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.