AlphaQuest LLC Sells 342 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

AlphaQuest LLC lessened its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 32.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 698 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 342 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Pool by 22.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after buying an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Pool by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 964,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $362,196,000 after acquiring an additional 6,232 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Pool by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 565,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $213,020,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Pool by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 419,919 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $143,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares during the period. Finally, Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter valued at $152,249,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

Pool stock opened at $327.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool Co. has a one year low of $293.51 and a one year high of $420.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $343.04 and its 200 day moving average is $355.17. The firm has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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 downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $368.00.

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 on 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.