BNP Paribas Financial Markets Raises Holdings in Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its Pool Corporation stake by 49.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 78,086 shares valued at about $17.86 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted positions in POOL, and hedge funds and institutions now own 98.99% of the company’s shares.
• Pool reported quarterly EPS of $1.43, beating estimates, while analysts currently have a Hold consensus on the stock with an average price target of $261.38.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 49.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 78,086 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 25,731 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.21% of Pool worth $17,862,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its stake in Pool by 31.4% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 2,093 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $97,612,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 236.4% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 11,146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,550,000 after purchasing an additional 7,833 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allstate Corp lifted its stake in shares of Pool by 80.7% in the 4th quarter. Allstate Corp now owns 2,011 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $460,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were bought at an average price of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $715,039.98. This trade represents a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of Pool stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at $1,701,771.84. This represents a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 26,989 shares of company stock worth $5,067,747 over the last 90 days. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on POOL. Weiss Ratings lowered Pool from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $261.38.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock opened at $185.52 on Friday. 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.10. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $199.52 and a two-hundred day moving average of $224.79.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.Pool's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Pool declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that allows the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the specialty retailer to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were given a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool's dividend payout ratio is 47.84%.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Pool Corporation as a leader in pool distributors, which may reinforce the company’s long-term competitive positioning and brand strength. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: An additional write-up repeated the same “leader in pool distributors” theme, but it appears to be a commentary piece rather than a new market-moving development. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: The remaining headlines mentioning “pool” were unrelated to Pool Corporation, focusing on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and political commentary, so they should not materially affect POOL shares.

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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