JT Stratford LLC Acquires New Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

JT Stratford LLC bought a new position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 1,484 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $506,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of Pool by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 281,302 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $95,907,000 after purchasing an additional 20,969 shares in the last quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter worth $251,000. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,291,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $323,000. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in Pool by 11.7% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,282 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Stock Up 0.2%

POOL stock opened at $303.47 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $284.28 and a 12 month high of $395.60. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $309.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $336.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

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

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $1.25 dividend. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. 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 1.65%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $336.22.

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.