AlphaQuest LLC Sells 342 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

AlphaQuest LLC lowered its holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 32.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 698 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 342 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $238,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in POOL. Parnassus Investments LLC lifted its position in Pool by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 204,730 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $77,142,000 after buying an additional 6,987 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Pool by 816.8% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 40,860 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $13,601,000 after purchasing an additional 36,403 shares in the last quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $653,000. National Bank of Canada FI increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 46.6% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Pool by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 260,333 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $98,093,000 after purchasing an additional 3,268 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $327.21 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $343.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $355.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market cap of $12.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $420.98.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its earnings results 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. Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The firm had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. Analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.47%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.55%.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 62,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on POOL. 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 research note 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $368.00.

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.