Benjamin Edwards Inc. Sells 69,600 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. cut its Pool Corporation stake by 95% in the fourth quarter, selling 69,600 shares and leaving it with just 3,646 shares worth about $835,000.
• Despite that sale, institutional ownership remains very high, with 98.99% of Pool shares held by institutions and several other funds recently boosting their positions.
• Insider buying has been notable, including multiple director purchases, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with an average price target of $265.13.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 95.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,646 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 69,600 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Pool were worth $835,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Pool by 16.2% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,563,373 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $794,825,000 after acquiring an additional 357,643 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Pool by 1,301.7% in the 2nd quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 194,880 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $56,804,000 after purchasing an additional 180,977 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its holdings in Pool by 30.7% during the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 297,361 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $68,021,000 after purchasing an additional 69,797 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its holdings in Pool by 157.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 113,284 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $35,126,000 after acquiring an additional 69,333 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Pool by 460.7% in the third quarter. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 71,891 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $22,291,000 after purchasing an additional 59,070 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa bought 10,000 shares for about $1.9 million, a sizable increase in his stake that can signal strong insider confidence in Pool Corporation’s outlook. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares, adding to his position and reinforcing the view that management insiders see value at current levels. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Director James D. Hope also bought shares, further adding to the insider-buying cluster that often supports investor sentiment. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a note titled “Pool Corporation: Abrupt CEO Change Doesn't Disrupt Earnings (Rating Upgrade),” suggesting at least one analyst sees the leadership change as manageable and the earnings outlook still intact. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several unrelated articles about pools, pool financing, and pool cleaners appeared in the news feed, but they do not appear to be direct company-specific catalysts for Pool Corporation.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on POOL. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price target on Pool in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Pool from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $265.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other news, Director James D. Hope bought 464 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Romain Kenneth G. St bought 5,560 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $218.67 per share, with a total value of $1,215,805.20. Following the purchase, the senior vice president directly owned 82,845 shares in the company, valued at $18,115,716.15. The trade was a 7.19% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 22,024 shares of company stock worth $4,424,071 in the last three months. 3.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Pool Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:POOL opened at $187.77 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $212.09 and a 200 day moving average of $237.58. 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 $184.50 and a 52 week high of $345.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.16.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter 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 anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This is a boost from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.00%.

Pool announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the specialty retailer to buy up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Company 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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