Epoch Investment Partners Inc. Buys 7,841 Shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL)

Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Pool Co. (NASDAQ:POOL) by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 203,582 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,841 shares during the period. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. owned 0.53% of Pool worth $62,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Tortoise Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Pool by 68.9% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 103 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 232.4% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 113 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Ridgewood Investments LLC purchased a new position in Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in Pool during the 2nd quarter valued at $75,000. Institutional investors own 98.99% of the company’s stock.

Pool Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $364.37 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $350.22 and a 200-day moving average of $359.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.51, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.48, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. Pool Co. has a 12 month low of $293.51 and a 12 month high of $422.73.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The specialty retailer reported $4.99 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.90 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.74 billion. Pool had a net margin of 8.58% and a return on equity of 32.85%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $5.89 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Pool Co. will post 10.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 29th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid 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 1.32%. Pool’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on POOL. Loop Capital cut their price target on Pool from $370.00 to $305.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Pool from $365.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Pool from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Pool from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Pool from $356.00 to $380.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $350.00.

About Pool

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.