Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Cuts Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lowered its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,049 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 777 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,790,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of POOL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new stake in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $152,249,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew 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 acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in Pool by 25.6% in the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,840,000 after acquiring an additional 129,780 shares during the period. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter worth $40,750,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on POOL. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $368.00.

Pool Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $314.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $11.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $403.61. The company has a 50-day moving average of $340.58 and a 200 day moving average of $353.55.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

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

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.