Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG reduced its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 10,667 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 301 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Pool were worth $3,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth approximately $116,833,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Pool by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,260,313 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $474,886,000 after acquiring an additional 232,914 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Pool by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,042,514 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $355,435,000 after acquiring an additional 224,674 shares during the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its holdings in shares of Pool by 25.6% in the fourth quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 636,007 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,840,000 after purchasing an additional 129,780 shares during the period. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI acquired a new stake in Pool during the third quarter worth about $40,750,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,667 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $346.00, for a total value 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. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Pool Price Performance

POOL stock opened at $318.13 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $339.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $353.40. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $293.51 and a 12-month high of $402.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.05, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $11.97 billion, a PE ratio of 28.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.08. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The company had revenue of $987.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.04 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 12th were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 42.55%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Pool currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $365.33.

Pool Company 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.