Berkshire Hathaway Inc Acquires Shares of 404,057 Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 404,057 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $152,249,000. Pool accounts for about 0.1% of Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Pool by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 2,102,921 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $646,291,000 after acquiring an additional 33,955 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 854,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $262,678,000 after purchasing an additional 11,059 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Pool by 0.6% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 565,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $213,020,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Pool by 26.6% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 433,166 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $133,125,000 after purchasing an additional 90,951 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Pool by 9.6% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 430,300 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $132,244,000 after purchasing an additional 37,598 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, October 28th. Loop Capital boosted their price target on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.11.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $377.09 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $14.35 billion, a PE ratio of 32.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.01. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $422.73. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $367.20 and its 200-day moving average is $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.39.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.31%.

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.