Bell Asset Management Ltd Sells 2,209 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Bell Asset Management Ltd lessened its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 12.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,930 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 2,209 shares during the period. Bell Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in Pool were worth $5,431,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 816.8% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $13,601,000 after buying an additional 36,403 shares during the period. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter worth about $653,000. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 15,576 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $5,869,000 after purchasing an additional 4,954 shares during the period. World Equity Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 4th quarter valued at about $272,000. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Pool by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 49,056 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $16,725,000 after purchasing an additional 10,880 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $315.05 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $336.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $352.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $293.51 and a 1 year high of $402.45.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $987.48 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. On average, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. Pool’s payout ratio is 42.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $365.33.

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.