IFM Investors Pty Ltd Makes New Investment in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd bought a new position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 8,010 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,232,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 0.5% in the third quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 5,687 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,025,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 5.4% in the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 590 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 6,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,746,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Pool by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 2,724 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,086,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 12.2% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 321 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Stock Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ POOL traded up $1.17 on Friday, reaching $371.17. The company had a trading volume of 437,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,053. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 1.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.00. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $307.77 and a 1-year high of $422.73. The company’s fifty day moving average is $392.78 and its 200-day moving average is $373.76.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.87 by ($0.02). Pool had a return on equity of 35.49% and a net margin of 9.17%. The business had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.46 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Pool from $407.00 to $436.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. Loop Capital downgraded Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $380.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus restated a “hold” rating and set a $370.00 target price on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, TheStreet cut Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $397.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Pool news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total value of $441,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 8,622 shares in the company, valued at $3,457,422. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.