Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Acquires 179 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 16.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 1,269 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 179 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $433,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in Pool in the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter worth approximately $60,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pool by 101.2% during the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $123,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Pool by 24.8% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $151,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings in Pool by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 412 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $350.26 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $13.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.14, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.03. 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 business’s 50 day moving average is $355.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $353.86.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.40 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.50 EPS. Pool’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.03 EPS for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 41.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently commented on POOL shares. Loop Capital raised their price target on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. StockNews.com lowered Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $369.25.

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.