Quest Partners LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Quest Partners LLC reduced its stake in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 77.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,040 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,533 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 68.9% in the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in Pool by 232.4% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its holdings in Pool by 26.2% in the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 207 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in Pool in the second quarter worth about $74,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Pool in the second quarter worth approximately $75,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

NASDAQ POOL opened at $366.49 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $365.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $352.29. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $422.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.54, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.01.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.42% and a return on equity of 31.89%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on POOL. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 7th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Pool from $380.00 to $386.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $369.11.

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.