Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Grows Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 25.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 1.67% of Pool worth $216,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 816.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,601,000 after purchasing an additional 36,403 shares during the period. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth $653,000. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 46.6% in the third 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 in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 1.3% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 260,333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $98,093,000 after acquiring an additional 3,268 shares during the period. Finally, World Equity Group Inc. purchased a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $272,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of Pool stock opened at $324.18 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $341.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $353.72. The company has a market capitalization of $12.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $410.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.04 million. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 dividend yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on POOL. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $368.00.

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.