Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 60,334 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,997 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned about 0.16% of Pool worth $20,349,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Pool by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $368.00.

Pool Stock Down 2.9 %

Pool stock opened at $314.92 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. 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 50 day moving average of $340.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $353.55. Pool Co. has a twelve month low of $293.51 and a twelve month high of $403.61.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. As a group, research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given 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 yield of 1.52%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other 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 stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Pool 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.