Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) Shares Sold by Farther Finance Advisors LLC

Farther Finance Advisors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 14.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,232 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 210 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC’s holdings in Pool were worth $392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in POOL. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in Pool by 7.8% during the first quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 468 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Second Line Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Second Line Capital LLC now owns 888 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 6,696 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,283,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. lifted its stake in Pool by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Waterloo Capital L.P. now owns 635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Pool by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,122 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Monday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $385,245.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 9,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,045,105. The trade was a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Pool Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL opened at $290.47 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $303.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $328.43. Pool Co. has a 1 year low of $284.28 and a 1 year high of $395.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 2.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.75, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.12.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The specialty retailer reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.42 by ($0.10). The company had revenue of $1.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.10 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.18% and a return on equity of 31.11%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. This is a positive change from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s payout ratio is currently 46.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

POOL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. They issued a “hold” rating and a $344.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. 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, Pool presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $336.22.

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.