Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Bought by Argent Trust Co

Argent Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 17.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,421 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 215 shares during the quarter. Argent Trust Co’s holdings in Pool were worth $484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in Pool by 2,300.0% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Pool by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $311.27 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $331.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $349.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $11.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $284.28 and a 52-week high of $395.60.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

About Pool

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.