Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 2,426 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 6.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 38,911 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,426 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.10% of Pool worth $14,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Pool by 3.6% during the third quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 1,845,204 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $657,077,000 after acquiring an additional 63,413 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Pool by 56.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 865,362 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $308,156,000 after buying an additional 313,190 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its position in Pool by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 777,707 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $276,941,000 after buying an additional 12,389 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Pool by 22.0% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 634,329 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $225,885,000 after acquiring an additional 114,298 shares during the period. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Pool by 10.9% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 606,678 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $216,038,000 after acquiring an additional 59,757 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, General Counsel Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $401.00, for a total value of $441,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the general counsel now owns 8,622 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,457,422. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer cut their price target on Pool from $436.00 to $416.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 29th. TheStreet downgraded Pool from a “b” rating to a “c+” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $360.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $391.80.

Pool Stock Performance

Pool stock opened at $366.90 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market cap of $14.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 1.01. Pool Co. has a 12-month low of $307.77 and a 12-month high of $422.73. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $384.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $377.65.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The specialty retailer reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.87 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Pool had a net margin of 9.17% and a return on equity of 35.49%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 13.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This is an increase from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.56%.

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.