MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Makes New Investment in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,023 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,026,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Berkshire Hathaway Inc bought a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter worth $152,249,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Pool by 22.7% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after purchasing an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 37,863.6% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 137,808 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $51,926,000 after purchasing an additional 137,445 shares in the last quarter. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in shares of Pool in the third quarter worth $40,750,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 44.3% in the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 217,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $81,981,000 after purchasing an additional 66,791 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of Pool stock opened at $353.74 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $355.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $355.43. The company has a market cap of $13.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.39, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.40 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.50 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.31%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday, January 19th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Loop Capital raised their target price on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $369.25.

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.