Pool (NASDAQ:POOL) Director Acquires $99,981.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Pool director David Whalen bought 525 shares on May 8 at an average price of $190.44, spending about $99,981 and raising his stake by 6.24% to 8,936 shares. Insider buying is often seen as a sign of confidence in the stock.
• POOL shares were down in recent trading, falling to $182.33 and hovering near their 52-week low of $181.10, well below the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The company has a market cap of $6.64 billion and a dividend yield of 2.9% after recently boosting its quarterly payout to $1.30.
• Analysts remain cautious on Pool, with several firms cutting price targets and the consensus rating sitting at “Hold.” Still, the company beat quarterly EPS estimates in its latest earnings report and authorized a $600 million share repurchase program.

Pool Corporation (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) Director David Whalen bought 525 shares of Pool stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $190.44 per share, with a total value of $99,981.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 8,936 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,701,771.84. This trade represents a 6.24% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Pool Stock Performance

POOL stock traded down $2.44 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $182.33. The stock had a trading volume of 900,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 836,416. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.16. Pool Corporation has a 52 week low of $181.10 and a 52 week high of $345.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $210.78 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.00. 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 (NASDAQ:POOL - Get Free Report) last issued its 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. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.82 billion. Pool had a return on equity of 32.37% and a net margin of 7.57%.Pool's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. Pool has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.870-11.170 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pool Corporation will post 11.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Pool Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a $1.30 dividend. This represents a $5.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Pool's previous quarterly dividend of $1.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 14th. Pool's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.00%.

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.

More Pool News

Here are the key news stories impacting Pool this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Director David G. Whalen bought 525 shares of Pool Corporation at an average price of $190.44, increasing his holdings by 6.24%. Insider purchases like this are often viewed as a sign of confidence that management or directors believe the stock is undervalued. SEC filing
• Positive Sentiment: Separate reports also highlighted additional director buying in Pool stock, reinforcing the idea that insiders are stepping in while shares trade near recent lows. This can help support sentiment, especially when the stock is already depressed. Article: Insider Buying: Pool NASDAQ: POOL Director Purchases $193,060.00 in Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus lowered its price target on Pool to $210 from $240 and kept a hold rating. While the new target still implies upside from current levels, the cut signals that analysts remain cautious about the near-term outlook for the pool and outdoor-living market. Benzinga report

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on POOL shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Pool from $240.00 to $210.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Zacks Research raised Pool from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Pool from $230.00 to $215.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings raised Pool from a "sell (d)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut their price objective on Pool from $346.00 to $280.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pool presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $261.38.

Institutional Trading of Pool

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

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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