Amiral Gestion Purchases Shares of 37,189 Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• Amiral Gestion opened a new position in Pool Corporation, buying 37,189 shares valued at about $7.5 million. The stake makes up roughly 4.2% of the fund’s holdings and ranks as its 11th-largest holding.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or initiated positions in POOL, and the stock is overwhelmingly institutionally owned at 98.99%. This suggests continued interest from professional investors despite recent share-price weakness.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $261.38, while recent moves included target cuts and downgrades. Pool also recently raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share and authorized a $600 million buyback plan.

Amiral Gestion purchased a new stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 37,189 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $7,524,000. Pool comprises approximately 4.2% of Amiral Gestion's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Amiral Gestion owned 0.10% of Pool as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in POOL. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its stake in Pool by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 78.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Pool by 348.4% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in Pool in the second quarter worth about $33,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research raised Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Bank of America decreased their price target on Pool from $229.00 to $226.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Pool from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $261.38.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez purchased 10,000 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 40,108 shares in the company, valued at $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have acquired 21,989 shares of company stock worth $4,042,747 over the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $194.84 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $196.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.92, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Pool Corporation has a 52-week low of $172.68 and a 52-week high of $345.00.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.84%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Trending Headlines about Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: No relevant Pool Corporation news was included in the feed, so there is no direct evidence of a new operational, financial, or strategic development affecting POOL shares.
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the articles reference a “reflecting pool” in Washington, D.C., which is unrelated to Pool Corporation’s business and should not be viewed as a fundamental driver for the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: POOL had been trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages before this news, which suggests the stock was already under pressure; however, these articles do not provide a new reason for that weakness.

Pool Profile

Pool Corporation is a leading wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related outdoor living products. Headquartered in Covington, Louisiana, the company serves a diverse customer base that includes service professionals, independent retailers, high-volume builders, and national retail chains. Pool Corporation's extensive branch network enables it to maintain strong local customer relationships while leveraging its scale to source products efficiently from manufacturers around the world.

The company's product portfolio spans pool and spa chemicals, water treatment equipment, pumps, filters, heaters, automation and control systems, liners, safety covers, and cleaning accessories.

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