Fulton Bank N.A. Boosts Stock Holdings in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 17.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,618 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Pool were worth $893,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of Pool during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Pool during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 101.2% during the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 326 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Pool by 24.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 402 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the third quarter worth $160,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Pool Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of POOL stock opened at $324.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.39 and a quick ratio of 0.77. Pool Co. has a one year low of $293.51 and a one year high of $422.73. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $359.96 and its 200-day moving average price is $352.57. The company has a market capitalization of $12.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.03.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The specialty retailer reported $3.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.11. Pool had a return on equity of 31.89% and a net margin of 8.42%. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.40 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.50 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

POOL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $377.00 to $408.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Pool from $335.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Pool from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price objective on Pool from $345.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $369.25.

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.