Pool Corporation $POOL Stock Position Lowered by EULAV Asset Management

Key Points

• EULAV Asset Management cut its Pool Corporation stake by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 41,000 shares and leaving it with 146,261 shares valued at about $33.5 million.
• Insiders have been buying Pool stock recently, including directors David G. Whalen and James D. Hope, with $5.07 million in insider purchases over the last 90 days.
• Pool reported Q1 earnings of $1.43 per share, beat EPS estimates, and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share while also authorizing a $600 million share buyback.

EULAV Asset Management lessened its position in Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 21.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 146,261 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 41,000 shares during the quarter. EULAV Asset Management owned approximately 0.39% of Pool worth $33,457,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in POOL. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Pool by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 122 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted 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 acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Pool by 348.4% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 139 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of Pool in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.99% of the company's stock.

Key Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Pool Corporation as a leader in pool distributors, which may reinforce the company’s long-term competitive positioning and brand strength. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: An additional write-up repeated the same “leader in pool distributors” theme, but it appears to be a commentary piece rather than a new market-moving development. What Makes Pool Corporation (POOL) a Leader in Pool Distributors?
• Neutral Sentiment: The remaining headlines mentioning “pool” were unrelated to Pool Corporation, focusing on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and political commentary, so they should not materially affect POOL shares.

Insider Buying and Selling at Pool

In other Pool news, Director David G. Whalen purchased 525 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $190.44 per share, for a total transaction of $99,981.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 8,936 shares in the company, valued at $1,701,771.84. This trade represents a 6.24% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $194.41 per share, for a total transaction of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,678 shares in the company, valued at $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 26,989 shares of company stock worth $5,067,747. Company insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on shares of Pool in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Pool from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Oppenheimer dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Pool from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $261.38.

Pool Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NASDAQ POOL opened at $185.52 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $6.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.07, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.10. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $199.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $224.79. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $172.68 and a 52 week high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a current ratio of 1.87.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a net margin of 7.57% and a return on equity of 32.37%. 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 business posted $1.32 EPS. Pool's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were paid a dividend of $1.30 per share. This is a positive change from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 47.84%.

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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