UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Decreases Holdings in Pool Corporation $POOL

Key Points

• UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp cut its Pool Corporation stake by 39.9% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 20,623 shares valued at about $4.7 million.
• Pool saw notable insider buying, including purchases by directors James D. Hope, John E. Stokely, and Manuel J. Perez de la Mesa, signaling management confidence in the stock.
• The company also announced a $600 million share buyback and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.30 per share, even as shares traded near their 52-week low and analysts maintained a consensus Hold rating.

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Free Report) by 39.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,623 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after selling 13,712 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp owned approximately 0.06% of Pool worth $4,718,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of POOL. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Pool by 78.6% during the fourth 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. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in shares of Pool during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Pool during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 98.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Pool news, Director James D. Hope purchased 464 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $194.41 per share, with a total value of $90,206.24. Following the purchase, the director owned 3,678 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $715,039.98. The trade was a 14.44% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director John E. Stokely purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $193.06 per share, with a total value of $193,060.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 16,230 shares in the company, 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 purchased 22,024 shares of company stock worth $4,424,071 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 3.00% of the company's stock.

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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on POOL shares. Zacks Research upgraded Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $246.00 price objective on Pool in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings raised Pool from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Pool from $360.00 to $310.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $265.13.

Pool Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of POOL stock opened at $187.77 on Friday. Pool Corporation has a 1 year low of $184.50 and a 1 year high of $345.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $212.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $237.58. The company has a market cap of $6.84 billion, a PE ratio of 17.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.16.

Pool (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The specialty retailer reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.The business had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. Research analysts predict that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, April 29th that authorizes the company to repurchase $600.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the specialty retailer to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Pool Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $5.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. Pool's dividend payout ratio is 46.00%.

Pool 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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