Prudential PLC Acquires 5,676 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Prudential PLC increased its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 84.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,363 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,676 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $4,215,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of POOL. Intech Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $202,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its position in Pool by 13.4% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 1,693 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $638,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pool by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 3,912 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,476,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in Pool by 28.3% in the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,694 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,768,000 after buying an additional 1,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Management Corp of Ontario lifted its position in Pool by 32.1% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 1,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $466,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value 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 trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $315.05 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $402.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $336.70 and a 200-day moving average of $352.37.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.04 million. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.52%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 42.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $365.33.

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.