Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Takes Position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 562 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $192,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of POOL. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $474,886,000 after purchasing an additional 232,914 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool during the 4th quarter valued at about $213,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 113.2% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 21,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $7,436,000 after purchasing an additional 11,580 shares in the last quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 1,269 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $433,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Pool in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,457,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Up 2.3%

POOL stock opened at $320.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.44, 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 business’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $338.20.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Pool declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on POOL shares. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Pool from $325.00 to $310.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stephens cut their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 target price on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Oppenheimer cut their target price on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 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 on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $336.22.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related 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 stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at $3,045,105. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

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.