Schroder Investment Management Group Sells 694 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Schroder Investment Management Group reduced its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 19.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,826 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 694 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group’s holdings in Pool were worth $959,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position 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 period. Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Pool by 76.9% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on POOL. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $365.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL opened at $303.08 on Tuesday. 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 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $402.45. The firm has a market cap of $11.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The business’s fifty day moving average is $335.56 and its 200-day moving average is $351.63.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $961.04 million. Sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. 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 1.58%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.