Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 13.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 2,442 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 375 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $777,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Thrive Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 46.3% during the 1st quarter. Thrive Wealth Management LLC now owns 996 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 28.0% during the 1st quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP now owns 1,655 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $527,000 after acquiring an additional 362 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 471.4% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 80 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 27.3% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 4,555 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,450,000 after acquiring an additional 976 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

POOL opened at $308.45 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $305.14 and a 200-day moving average of $332.71. The company has a market capitalization of $11.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.34, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $284.28 and a 1-year high of $395.60. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its 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). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.10 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. Pool’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.62%. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s payout ratio is presently 46.90%.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,105. This represents a 11.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $336.22.

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.