Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Bridges Investment Management Inc.

Bridges Investment Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 68,802 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 845 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. owned about 0.18% of Pool worth $23,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of POOL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Pool by 22.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after buying an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Pool by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 964,343 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $362,196,000 after purchasing an additional 6,232 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its holdings in Pool by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 565,339 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $213,020,000 after purchasing an additional 3,428 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Pool by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 419,919 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $143,167,000 after purchasing an additional 3,575 shares during the period. Finally, Berkshire Hathaway Inc purchased a new stake in Pool in the third quarter valued at approximately $152,249,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade 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 link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

POOL stock opened at $347.00 on Friday. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $422.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The business’s 50-day moving average is $342.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $355.50.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. Analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 1.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.55%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two research 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $368.00.

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.