UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Grows Stock Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 19.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,767 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 947 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Pool were worth $1,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the third quarter worth about $202,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Pool by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $852,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 7.0% in the 3rd quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,118 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $421,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Pool during the third quarter worth $379,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool 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 on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $314.92 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $340.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $353.55. The stock has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $403.61. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. As a group, research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

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.