Hsbc Holdings PLC Lowers Stock Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Hsbc Holdings PLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,239 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 1,397 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.22% of Pool worth $28,048,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool during the third quarter worth about $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Two investment 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. According to MarketBeat, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $348.33.

Pool Stock Up 1.0 %

POOL opened at $291.59 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $323.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $344.69. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $284.28 and a 52 week high of $395.60. The firm has a market cap of $11.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by ($0.10). The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.55%.

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.