Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Bought by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 27.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 224,674 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP owned about 2.77% of Pool worth $355,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in POOL. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 5,594 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,907,000 after buying an additional 266 shares in the last quarter. Allianz SE acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth $1,098,000. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth $382,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 531 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $181,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DnB Asset Management AS boosted its position in shares of Pool by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. DnB Asset Management AS now owns 6,312 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,152,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Pool Price Performance

POOL opened at $318.13 on Wednesday. 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 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $402.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $339.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $353.40. The stock has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.20, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced 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 business 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%. Analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on POOL shares. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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 report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.33.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.