WCM Investment Management LLC Takes $4.33 Million Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

WCM Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 10,757 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,329,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its stake 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. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Pool by 7.2% in the first quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 479 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Pool by 0.6% in the first quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 5,695 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,950,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. raised its holdings in Pool by 12.2% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 321 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in Pool by 39.6% in the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 127 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $380.20 on Monday. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $307.77 and a 12 month high of $422.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $395.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $372.37. The firm has a market cap of $14.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.00.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by $0.02. Pool had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 37.94%. The business had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.79 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 13.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 14th were paid a $1.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 13th. This represents a $4.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.16%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 33.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of Pool 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 sale, the general counsel now directly owns 8,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,422. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the topic of several analyst reports. TheStreet lowered shares of Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Pool from $407.00 to $436.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $370.00 target price on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of Pool in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Loop Capital lowered shares of Pool from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $380.00 to $415.00 in a report on Monday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $388.63.

About Pool

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.