O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Increases Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,594 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 266 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $1,907,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Pool by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 138 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the third quarter worth $60,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on POOL shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of 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 lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Pool Price Performance

POOL opened at $315.05 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $402.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $336.70 and a 200-day moving average of $352.37. The company has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Equities analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

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.