Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 673 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lessened its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 673 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.05% of Pool worth $6,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Pool by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value 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 represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $314.92 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $403.61. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $340.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $353.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $368.00.

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.