Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Bought by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC grew its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,256 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its holdings in Pool by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 1,103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 4.8% in the third quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 853 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $383,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Pool by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $197,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 0.8% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 7,250 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,732,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Pool

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total transaction of $3,460,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at $21,651,642. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

POOL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com cut shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

Pool Price Performance

Pool stock opened at $341.29 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $342.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $355.61. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $293.51 and a 52 week high of $422.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.99 billion, a PE ratio of 30.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.03.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The business had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 42.55%.

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.