Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Sold by Empowered Funds LLC

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC cut its Pool Corporation position by 65.9% in the first quarter, selling 6,352 shares and retaining 3,289 shares valued at approximately $665,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 98.99% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans toward “Hold”, with five Buy, six Hold, and two Sell ratings and a consensus price target of $235.67.
• Pool exceeded quarterly earnings expectations with EPS of $5.38 versus $5.33 expected, while also authorizing a $600 million share buyback and declaring a quarterly dividend of $1.30 per share.

Empowered Funds LLC lowered its position in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 65.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,289 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 6,352 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in Pool were worth $665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Pool in the 1st quarter valued at about $400,000. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in Pool by 237.9% in the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 17,390 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $5,536,000 after buying an additional 12,244 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Pool by 164.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 156 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 97 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Pool by 201.2% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 2,012 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in Pool by 374.9% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 12,880 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $3,754,000 after buying an additional 10,168 shares during the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on POOL shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $185.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a report on Friday, July 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Pool from $235.00 to $189.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Pool in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $235.67.

Pool Price Performance

Shares of POOL opened at $190.47 on Tuesday. Pool Corporation has a one year low of $172.68 and a one year high of $336.15. The stock's fifty day moving average is $200.68 and its 200-day moving average is $209.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 2.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.06.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $5.38 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.33 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.40% and a return on equity of 32.74%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $5.17 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.660-10.960 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 10.94 EPS for the current year.

Pool announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that permits the company to buyback $600.00 million in outstanding 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 an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Pool Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 13th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 13th. Pool's dividend payout ratio is currently 47.84%.

About Pool

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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