Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Kennedy Capital Management LLC

Kennedy Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,240 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 827 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned about 0.07% of Pool worth $9,287,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Pool by 816.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $13,601,000 after purchasing an additional 36,403 shares during the last quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $653,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. World Equity Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $272,000. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,926 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock traded down $4.36 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $302.60. 164,367 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 377,103. The firm's 50-day moving average is $329.61 and its 200 day moving average is $348.35. The company has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $284.28 and a 1 year high of $395.60.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $987.48 million for 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%. Equities research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

POOL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $360.33.

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.