Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Purchased by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Key Points

• Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Pool Corporation by 3.3%, owning 353,832 shares valued at approximately $112.6 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors, including Whipplewood Advisors LLC and Versant Capital Management Inc., made significant increases in their positions, with Whipplewood increasing its stake by 471.4%.
• Pool Corporation announced a quarterly dividend of $1.25 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 1.6%, as well as a stock buyback plan to repurchase up to $600 million in shares.

Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 3.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 353,832 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 11,153 shares during the quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.94% of Pool worth $112,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. American Century Companies Inc. raised its stake in Pool by 2.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 483,882 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $154,044,000 after buying an additional 13,648 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in shares of Pool by 112.3% in the 1st quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 33,110 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $10,427,000 after acquiring an additional 17,515 shares in the last quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 130.2% in the 1st quarter. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP now owns 3,904 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,243,000 after acquiring an additional 2,208 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of Pool by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 92,980 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,378,000 after acquiring an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Finally, OneAscent Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $224,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on POOL. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Pool from $322.00 to $346.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Pool from $310.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Pool from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Stephens cut their target price on shares of Pool from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $342.14.

Pool Stock Performance

Shares of POOL stock traded up $15.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $323.73. The stock had a trading volume of 736,509 shares, compared to its average volume of 465,878. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.08 billion, a PE ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.48 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $306.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $313.35. Pool Corporation has a twelve month low of $282.22 and a twelve month high of $395.60. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The specialty retailer reported $5.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $5.12 by $0.05. Pool had a net margin of 7.79% and a return on equity of 30.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $4.99 EPS. Pool's revenue was up .9% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.700-11.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Pool Corporation will post 11.32 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the specialty retailer to buy up to 5.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 14th will be given a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 14th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.13%.

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.