Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Purchased by Tortoise Investment Management LLC

Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 79.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 208 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $71,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of POOL. Berkshire Hathaway Inc acquired a new position in Pool during the 3rd quarter worth $152,249,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter worth about $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,750,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 217,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $81,981,000 after acquiring an additional 66,791 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on 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 assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL opened at $364.12 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $343.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $355.74. The stock has a market cap of $13.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. 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 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $420.98.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.