Securian Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 12.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,460 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 360 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 2,724 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,086,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. First National Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Pool by 45.5% during the 4th quarter. First National Advisers LLC now owns 4,956 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,976,000 after acquiring an additional 1,549 shares in the last quarter. American National Bank purchased a new position in Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $90,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Pool by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Finally, Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter worth about $2,392,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In other Pool news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $3,457,422. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on POOL. TheStreet cut Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $436.00 to $416.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $391.80.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $371.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.88 and a quick ratio of 0.56. The firm has a market cap of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $383.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $379.03. Pool Co. has a 1-year low of $307.77 and a 1-year high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.87 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.13 billion. Pool had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 35.49%. The firm’s revenue was down 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.46 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 13.02 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.56%.

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.