Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Purchased by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 497.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,069 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,550 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in Pool were worth $2,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in POOL. Wedmont Private Capital grew its holdings in Pool by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 590 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $236,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank boosted its position in Pool by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 6,805 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,746,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. TIAA Trust National Association grew its stake in shares of Pool by 4.2% during the first quarter. TIAA Trust National Association now owns 747 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 1.3% in the second quarter. Mitchell & Pahl Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $817,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $346.10 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 2.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $335.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $364.96. Pool Co. has a fifty-two week low of $293.51 and a fifty-two week high of $422.73. The company has a market cap of $13.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.00.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $4.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.90 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.85% and a net margin of 8.58%. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.89 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 10.95 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $305.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Pool from $365.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Pool from $425.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $347.22.

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.