King Luther Capital Management Corp Acquires 7,833 Shares of Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• King Luther Capital Management boosted its Pool Corporation stake by 236.4% in Q4, buying 7,833 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 11,146 shares worth about $2.55 million.
• Several other hedge funds also adjusted their positions, and institutional investors now own 98.99% of Pool’s stock. Insider buying was also notable, with directors Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa and John E. Stokely purchasing shares in recent weeks.
• Analysts remain cautious overall: Pool has an average Hold rating and a $261.38 target price, while the stock recently traded near $184.70 after reporting earnings that beat EPS estimates but missed revenue expectations. The company also approved a $600 million share repurchase plan and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share.

King Luther Capital Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 236.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 11,146 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,833 shares during the period. King Luther Capital Management Corp's holdings in Pool were worth $2,550,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 4.2% during the third quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 999 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $310,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pool by 20.0% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 270 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. raised its position in shares of Pool by 6.4% during the third quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 886 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $275,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Pool by 4.8% during the second quarter. Snowden Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $339,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Pool

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $175.95 per share, for a total transaction of $1,759,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 40,108 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,057,002.60. The trade was a 33.21% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director John E. Stokely bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $193.06 per share, with a total value of $193,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 16,230 shares in the company, valued at $3,133,363.80. This represents a 6.57% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have purchased 26,989 shares of company stock worth $5,067,747 over the last quarter. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on POOL. Weiss Ratings downgraded Pool from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pool presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $261.38.

Pool News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted Pool Corporation as a stock he expects to move higher, which may encourage dip-buying and improve near-term sentiment. Jim Cramer: This Real Estate Stock Is 'Going To Go Higher'
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha item noted that Argosy Investors added Pool to its portfolio while exiting multiple other holdings, but it did not provide enough detail to clearly signal a major fundamental shift. Argosy Investors adds Capital One and Pool as it exits multiple holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data showed no meaningful short position in Pool, suggesting bearish bets are not a current driver of the stock. This is more of a market-structure update than a catalyst.

Pool Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of Pool stock opened at $184.70 on Friday. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock's 50-day moving average is $202.10 and its 200 day moving average is $227.42. The firm has a market cap of $6.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.99, a PEG ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.16.

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 company had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. The firm'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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to repurchase $600.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

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

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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