Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Acquired by Pictet Asset Management Holding SA

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 25.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor 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’s holdings in Pool were worth $216,840,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted 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 valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Pool in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew 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 valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

Pool Trading Down 0.8 %

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

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. On average, equities analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

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.