Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Reduces Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 29.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,134 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,862 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $3,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Pool in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $60,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank raised its position in Pool by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $140,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $347.00 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $342.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $355.50. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. On average, research analysts predict 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 will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on POOL shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

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.