Prudential PLC Buys 5,676 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Prudential PLC grew its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 84.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 12,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,676 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,215,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew 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 buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Pool by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Pool during the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.33.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $315.05 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $336.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $352.37. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $402.45. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.93, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly 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. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Equities research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Company 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.