Prudential Financial Inc. Has $6.42 Million Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Prudential Financial Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,822 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 4,860 shares during the quarter. Prudential Financial Inc.’s holdings in Pool were worth $6,417,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Pool by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,443,451 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,514,950,000 after purchasing an additional 21,870 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 7.8% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 41,596 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $14,182,000 after buying an additional 3,010 shares during the period. Heron Bay Capital Management grew its position in shares of Pool by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Heron Bay Capital Management now owns 7,128 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,430,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the fourth quarter valued at about $4,262,000. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 82.5% during the fourth quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 1,825 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 825 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Pool Price Performance

Pool stock opened at $314.92 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.05. Pool Co. has a 52-week low of $293.51 and a 52-week high of $403.61. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $340.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $353.55.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The specialty retailer reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 analysts predict that Pool Co. will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 12th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 12th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 42.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on POOL. StockNews.com cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target 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 given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $368.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Pool news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now owns 62,577 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,651,642. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company’s stock.

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.