Stifel Financial Corp Sells 1,732 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Stifel Financial Corp decreased its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,547 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 1,732 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned approximately 0.26% of Pool worth $33,259,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in Pool by 2,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Pool by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool during the third quarter valued at about $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL stock traded down $0.26 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $291.33. The stock had a trading volume of 515,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 383,018. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $323.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $344.42. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $284.28 and a 52 week high of $395.60. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm's revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.03%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 price target on the stock. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pool currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $341.22.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

About Pool

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.