Korea Investment CORP Raises Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Korea Investment CORP boosted its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 116.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,397 shares during the quarter. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Pool were worth $5,966,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at $202,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Pool by 4.7% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,262 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $852,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in Pool by 7.0% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 1,118 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $421,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter worth about $379,000. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in shares of Pool by 20.1% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 8,432 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,177,000 after purchasing an additional 1,414 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business’s 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 directly owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of Pool stock opened at $318.35 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $403.61. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $339.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $353.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on POOL shares. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut 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 equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $368.00.

Pool Company 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.