Washington Trust Bank Sells 35 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Washington Trust Bank cut its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 914 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 35 shares during the quarter. Washington Trust Bank’s holdings in Pool were worth $312,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pool by 2,300.0% in 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 period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Pool Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ POOL opened at $320.14 on Friday. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $420.00. 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 company has a market capitalization of $12.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $342.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $354.17.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on POOL. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus 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.