Promus Capital LLC Takes $77,000 Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Promus Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 225 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $77,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in POOL. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in Pool during the third quarter worth $31,000. 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. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Pool during the third quarter worth $60,000. Finally, YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $61,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $343.92 on Thursday. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $422.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $342.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $355.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.09 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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 dated 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus 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.