Insider Selling: Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Director Sells $3,460,000.00 in Stock

Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL stock opened at $342.54 on Friday. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $293.51 and a 1-year high of $422.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $343.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $355.57. The firm has a market cap of $13.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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 cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Two 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $368.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pool

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at about $83,000. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at $212,000. Castlekeep Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at $3,255,000. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in Pool by 49.4% during the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 20,395 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $6,953,000 after acquiring an additional 6,744 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth $354,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

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.