Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Bought by Gotham Asset Management LLC

Gotham Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 261.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,719 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,966 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $927,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in POOL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 113.2% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 21,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,436,000 after acquiring an additional 11,580 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 16.4% in the 4th quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $433,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,457,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed 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. Stephens cut 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, April 28th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $336.22.

Pool Stock Up 2.3%

POOL stock opened at $320.82 on Friday. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $338.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results 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). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’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 represents a 13.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company 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.