T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Decreases Stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. decreased its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 133,727 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 10,210 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. owned 0.35% of Pool worth $45,593,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its position in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Pool during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Pool by 76.9% in the fourth 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 shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at about $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a "hold" rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $348.33.

Pool Stock Performance

Pool stock opened at $291.59 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $323.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $344.55.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.10 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool's payout ratio is 42.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, 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.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding POOL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.