Torray Investment Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Torray Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 1.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 148 shares during the quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,971,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in Pool by 76.9% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Pool in the fourth quarter worth about $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Down 0.8 %

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $344.18 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $342.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $355.63. The company has a market cap of $13.10 billion, a PE ratio of 30.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. 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 Co. has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS 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 company had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.