Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Acquires 1,000 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• The Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in Pool Corporation by 12.7% during the first quarter, now holding shares valued at $2.83 million.
• Pool Corporation reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $5.17 for the last quarter, slightly surpassing analysts' expectations, with a net margin of 7.79%.
• The company announced a $600 million stock buyback program, targeting 5.4% of its stock, indicating the board's belief that the stock is undervalued.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 12.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,898 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in Pool were worth $2,833,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in shares of Pool by 173.2% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 541 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $172,000 after buying an additional 343 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Pool by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 34,946 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $11,114,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares during the period. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Pool by 7.4% during the first quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 12,711 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $4,039,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its position in shares of Pool by 8.9% in the first quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 5,191 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,653,000 after purchasing an additional 426 shares during the period. Finally, CCM Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the first quarter worth $491,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Pool Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of POOL traded down $6.1750 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $308.7750. The stock had a trading volume of 341,146 shares, compared to its average volume of 517,764. The stock's 50 day moving average is $305.15 and its 200 day moving average is $314.00. The firm has a market cap of $11.52 billion, a PE ratio of 28.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $282.22 and a 1 year high of $395.60.

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

Pool announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be issued 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 payout ratio is presently 46.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Stephens cut their target price on Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $300.00 price target on Pool in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.