Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Raises Stock Position in Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. increased its stake in Pool Corporation by 49.8%, now holding shares worth $1.04 million after acquiring an additional 1,094 shares in the first quarter.
• Shares of Pool Corporation have experienced a slight increase, now trading around $323.73, with a market cap of $12.08 billion and a consensus price target of $342.14.
• Pool Corporation announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25, yielding 1.5%, and initiated a stock repurchase program allowing up to $600 million in share buybacks, indicating management’s belief in the stock's undervalued status.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 49.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,289 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,094 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Pool were worth $1,039,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in POOL. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,456,246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,418,646,000 after acquiring an additional 12,795 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,284,918 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $409,054,000 after purchasing an additional 44,897 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Pool by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,054,066 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $335,562,000 after purchasing an additional 11,552 shares during the period. Berkshire Hathaway Inc boosted its position in Pool by 48.2% during the fourth quarter. Berkshire Hathaway Inc now owns 598,689 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $204,117,000 after purchasing an additional 194,632 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Pool in the first quarter valued at approximately $168,735,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:POOL traded down $0.42 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $317.96. The company's stock had a trading volume of 211,361 shares, compared to its average volume of 517,515. The company has a market cap of $11.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 1.07. Pool Corporation has a 12-month low of $282.22 and a 12-month high of $395.60. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $307.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $313.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 2.52.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $5.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.12 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.79 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 30.99%. Pool's revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.99 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $1.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 46.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

POOL has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Pool from $322.00 to $346.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Pool currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $342.14.

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.