Prudential Financial Inc. Decreases Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Prudential Financial Inc. reduced its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 20.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 18,822 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 4,860 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.'s holdings in Pool were worth $6,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its position in Pool by 2,300.0% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in Pool by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ:POOL traded down $0.22 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $318.13. 382,676 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 368,600. The company has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $339.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $353.40. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $402.45.

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Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Sell-side analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

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 owns 62,577 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,045,105. This 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of 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 report on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.