Franklin Resources Inc. Purchases 2,789 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 13.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,302 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,789 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.06% of Pool worth $8,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in Pool by 816.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,601,000 after buying an additional 36,403 shares in the last quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP bought a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $653,000. National Bank of Canada FI raised its stake in Pool by 46.6% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 15,576 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,869,000 after buying an additional 4,954 shares in the last quarter. World Equity Group Inc. bought a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $272,000. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Pool by 28.5% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 49,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $16,725,000 after buying an additional 10,880 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Trading Up 7.8 %

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $313.56 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $331.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $350.06. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $284.28 and a 52 week high of $395.60. 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 market cap of $11.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.53%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm’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 value of $385,245.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $365.33.

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.