Czech National Bank Raises Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Czech National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 6.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,793 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 489 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Pool were worth $2,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of POOL. Tortoise Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Pool by 68.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in Pool by 232.4% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Pool by 26.2% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 207 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in Pool in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $75,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on POOL shares. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Pool from $356.00 to $380.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com raised shares of Pool from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Pool from $338.00 to $290.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered their price objective on shares of Pool from $370.00 to $305.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $354.44.

Pool Stock Performance

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $365.28 on Friday. Pool Co. has a twelve month low of $293.51 and a twelve month high of $422.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.58, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $356.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $355.49.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $4.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.90 by $0.09. Pool had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 32.85%. The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $5.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 10.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.31%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio 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.