Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Purchases 875 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 73.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 875 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth about $60,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Pool by 57.8% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,661 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,510,000 after purchasing an additional 2,441 shares during the last quarter. Peapack Gladstone Financial Corp purchased a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $217,000. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter worth $765,000. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 217,572 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $81,981,000 after buying an additional 66,791 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $291.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. Pool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $284.28 and a fifty-two week high of $395.60. The company has a market capitalization of $11.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.85, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $323.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $344.69.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. Analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.55%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Pool from $340.00 to $330.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $315.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $348.33.

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.