Pool Corporation $POOL Stock Holdings Lessened by Truist Financial Corp

Key Points

• Truist Financial Corp cut its Pool Corp stake by 33.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 10,434 shares and leaving it with 21,009 shares valued at about $4.8 million.
• Insiders have been buying shares, including Director Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa’s 10,000-share purchase worth about $1.9 million and Director John E. Stokely’s 1,000-share buy, which may signal confidence in the company.
• Pool announced shareholder-friendly actions such as a quarterly dividend increase to $1.30 and a new $600 million stock repurchase authorization, even as analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating.

Truist Financial Corp trimmed its stake in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 33.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,009 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 10,434 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp owned 0.06% of Pool worth $4,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caledonia Investments PLC raised its position in Pool by 5.2% during the third quarter. Caledonia Investments PLC now owns 160,887 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $49,886,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,399,000. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC raised its position in Pool by 1.8% during the third quarter. Waters Parkerson & CO. LLC now owns 114,317 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $35,446,000 after acquiring an additional 2,024 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Pool during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,855,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Pool during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,376,000. 98.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on POOL. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Oppenheimer lowered their price target on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $265.13.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director De La Mesa Manuel J. Perez acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $190.00 per share, for a total transaction of $1,900,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 30,108 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,720,520. The trade was a 49.73% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director John E. Stokely acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The stock was bought at an average price of $193.06 per share, for a total transaction of $193,060.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 16,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,133,363.80. The trade was a 6.57% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have acquired a total of 22,024 shares of company stock valued at $4,424,071 in the last 90 days. 3.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories 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

Shares of Pool stock opened at $187.77 on Monday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $212.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $237.58. The company has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.27, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 1.87, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $184.50 and a 1 year high of $345.00.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. Pool's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be paid a $1.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Pool's dividend payout ratio is 47.84%.

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

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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