William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $188.70 Million Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

William Blair Investment Management LLC decreased its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 553,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 15,179 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $188,697,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $152,249,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Pool by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $474,886,000 after purchasing an additional 232,914 shares during the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,750,000. Finally, Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 274,165 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $93,474,000 after purchasing an additional 69,435 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Trading Up 2.0 %

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $327.21 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $343.04 and a 200 day moving average of $355.21. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $420.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $987.48 million during 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on POOL. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

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.