Pool Corporation $POOL Shares Sold by Swedbank AB

Key Points

• Swedbank AB reduced its Pool Corporation stake by 27% in the fourth quarter, selling 37,334 shares and leaving it with 101,000 shares valued at about $23.1 million.
• Analysts are mostly cautious on POOL, with a current average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $265.13, though some firms still have buy or outperform ratings.
• Pool reported solid earnings and returned cash to shareholders, beating EPS estimates in its latest quarter, raising its dividend to $1.30 per share, and authorizing a $600 million share buyback program.

Swedbank AB trimmed its holdings in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 27.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 101,000 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 37,334 shares during the period. Swedbank AB owned about 0.27% of Pool worth $23,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of Pool by 78.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 125 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Pool by 133.3% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 126 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. 98.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on POOL shares. Wall Street Zen raised Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Zacks Research raised Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Pool from $232.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price target on Pool from $320.00 to $300.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $265.13.

Key Headlines Impacting Pool

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa bought 10,000 shares for about $1.9 million, a sizable increase in his stake that can signal strong insider confidence in Pool Corporation’s outlook. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares, adding to his position and reinforcing the view that management insiders see value at current levels. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Director James D. Hope also bought shares, further adding to the insider-buying cluster that often supports investor sentiment. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a note titled “Pool Corporation: Abrupt CEO Change Doesn't Disrupt Earnings (Rating Upgrade),” suggesting at least one analyst sees the leadership change as manageable and the earnings outlook still intact. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Several unrelated articles about pools, pool financing, and pool cleaners appeared in the news feed, but they do not appear to be direct company-specific catalysts for Pool Corporation.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL stock opened at $187.77 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.16. Pool Corporation has a 12-month low of $184.50 and a 12-month high of $345.00. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $212.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $237.58.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The business 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%.The business's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 EPS for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.00%.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to buyback $600.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James D. Hope acquired 464 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $715,039.98. This represents a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Melanie M. Hart sold 2,750 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.00, for a total value of $605,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 18,039 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,968,580. The trade was a 13.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 22,024 shares of company stock worth $4,424,071 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Pool Company 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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