Sentry Investment Management LLC Invests $30,000 in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 99 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $30,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. increased its position in Pool by 2,300.0% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 72 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in Pool by 790.9% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 98 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $297.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. Pool Co. has a 52 week low of $284.28 and a 52 week high of $395.60. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $304.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $332.26. The stock has a market cap of $11.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.34, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 1.20.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its 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). Pool had a return on equity of 31.11% and a net margin of 8.18%. The business had revenue of $1.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. This is a boost from Pool’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. Pool’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.90%.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback 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 purchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on POOL shares. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on Pool from $370.00 to $322.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Pool in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. They set a “hold” rating and a $344.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen cut Pool from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Stephens reduced their price target on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $336.22.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer M. Neil sold 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 11.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Pool Company 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.